CA 15-13 is a neoplastic marker used primarily in the diagnosis of women diagnosed with breast cancer. This substance is present in the blood of both sick and he althy people. Based on the marking of this marker, it is impossible to determine whether a given patient is sick. What is the CA 15-3 screening for? What is their importance in cancer therapy?

CA 15-13marker is an antigen produced by breast cancer neoplastic cells. However, the same substance is also produced by the he althy epithelium of the mammary gland. There are times in a woman's life when her level increases significantly - for example, during pregnancy.

From a biochemical point of view, CA 15-3 is a blood-soluble fragment of mucin 1 (MUC-1).

It is impossible to prove that a given person has cancer using this marker. A high level of this substance may indicate certain diseases, but it is not information that allows you to make a diagnosis.

CA 15-13 is primarily used to monitor the treatment of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It is also recommended to test the level of this marker after detecting the disease in order to find the best way of therapy.

What does CA 15-3 mean that is a tumor marker?

Cancer markers are substances that are produced by cancer cells. There are those that are produced only by diseased cells and those that are also produced by he althy cells. CA 15-3 belongs to the latter group.

Concentrations of tumor markers may be evidence of three phenomena occurring in diseased cells:

  • proliferation - that is, multiplication; tumor growth and metastasis process
  • differentiation - the concentration of markers that define this process indicates the number of neoplastic cells, which differs from he althy cells by a lower level of differentiation.
  • dying - apoptosis and necrosis of cancer cells is a process leading to the release of a large number of tumor markers.

Research on the presence and concentration of markers is used at various stages of disease diagnosis. They are primarily used for:

  • cancer detection
  • recognition of the type of neoplastic lesion
  • determining the stage of the cancer

The results of these determinations can be used to select an appropriate treatment method andmonitoring the course of therapy.

CA 15-3 as a marker in the diagnosis of breast cancer

CA 15-3 has the greatest application in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Its concentration increases significantly in the advanced stages of the disease, when metastases appear. Testing the concentration of this marker has been shown to be useful in monitoring the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

CA-15-3 determinations at the beginning of the development of the disease show a low diagnostic sensitivity, but this sensitivity increases with the development of the disease. This means that the results become more meaningful.

CA 3-15 level test is useful for detecting breast cancer metastasis. The imperfection of this diagnostic method is due to the fact that it is not very effective in the early stages of the disease. It is therefore not suitable for screening and detecting breast cancer.

What does high CA 15-3 mean?

A high result indicates the advanced stage of the disease and the presence of metastases. The highest levels of CA-15-3 are characteristic of the stage of the disease when the bones or the liver are affected by cancer.

Slightly elevated CA 15-3 may accompany diseases other than cancer, including benign tumors. Unfortunately, the low concentration of this marker does not rule out breast cancer. In 25% -30% of patients with this disease, this substance is not produced by altered cells.

Increasing concentration of CA 15-3 marker during treatment indicates the ineffectiveness of the therapy. In the first week of chemotherapy, however, there is an increase in results indicating that the killed cancer cells release this substance into the blood.

When is there an increased concentration of CA 15-3?

CA 15-3 can also be used as a marker in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Increased concentration of this substance may also appear due to the presence of many other diseases. They are observed during the course of:

  • hepatitis
  • cirrhosis of the liver
  • benign tumors
  • sarcoidozie
  • hypothyroidism
  • megaloblastic anemia
  • advanced stages of ovarian, stomach, pancreatic adenocarcinoma or lung cancer

When is CA 15-3 performed?

CA 15-3 levels should be tested when breast cancer is detected, before starting treatment. A particular indication is the suspicion of an advanced stage of the disease.

CA 15-3 is usually monitored during treatment, several weeks after starting treatment.

Is CA 15-3 an ideal marker in the diagnosis of breast cancer?

CA 15-3 marker designations show lowsensitivity at the beginning of the development of breast cancer, when proper diagnosis is of the greatest importance for the he alth and life of the patient.

The reliability of this study increases with the development of the disease, but then the chances of finding a treatment that will be effective decrease significantly.

More reliable results, during treatment monitoring, are obtained when combining the CA 15-3 marker with CEA.

The usefulness of using this marker in diagnostics is still a subject of discussion among specialists. Carrying out this measurement is the source of many false results due to the low sensitivity of the test.

The undoubted advantage of this study is the fact that it is cheap compared to others. It is also important that they can be performed with blood drawn from the patient. It is not necessary to obtain a biopsy. Thanks to these features, the test can be performed regularly, which facilitates the monitoring of the treatment process.

About the authorSara Janowska, MA in pharmacyPhD student of interdisciplinary doctoral studies in the field of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences at the Medical University of Lublin and the Institute of Biotechnology in Białystok. A graduate of pharmaceutical studies at the Medical University of Lublin with a specialization in Plant Medicine. She obtained a master's degree defending a thesis in the field of pharmaceutical botany on the antioxidant properties of extracts obtained from twenty species of mosses. Currently, in his research work, he deals with the synthesis of new anti-cancer substances and the study of their properties on cancer cell lines. For two years she worked as a master of pharmacy in an open pharmacy.

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