Sensitivity and specificity of CA242 in gastro-intestinal cancer. A comparison with CEA, CA50 and CA 19-9.

A serological assay for the quantitative determination of the novel tumour-associated epitope CA242 was developed and used for determination of sensitivity and specificity of CA242 in gastrointestinal cancer. The CA242 assay showed a better tumour specificity than CA50 (and CA 19-9). This was most noticeable in benign hepatobiliary disease. The sensitivity at 90% specificity cut-off level was approximately three times higher for CA242 compared to CA50 in colo-rectal cancer Dukes A, B and C, while in pancreatic cancer the sensitivity of CA242 and CA50 was similar. CA242 was expressed independently of CEA, and the combination of CEA and CA242 gave in colo-rectal cancer considerably higher sensitivity than the use of only one of the markers. This was most pronounced in Dukes A and Dukes B patients. CA242 is a novel tumour marker of potential clinical use, particularly in colo-rectal cancer.