Occurrence of carcinoma-associated antigen 494 in colorectal cancer tissueand in patients' sera during metastatic disease

CA 494 is a new carbohydrate epitope on a high-molecular-weight mucin-type glycoprotein which has been intensively investigated in pancreatic cancer. In this study, the occurrence of CA 494 was characterized in colorectal can cer tissue and in patients' sera during metastatic disease. CA 494 was dete cted in cancer tissue from 82% of the 49 patients studied. Serum levels of CA 494 were elevated (>40 U/ml) in 66% of the same patients during metastat ic disease (n = 41), The well-established tumor markers carcinoembryonic an tigen (CEA) and CA 19-9 were increased (CEA >5 ng/ml; CA 19-9 >37 U/ml) in about 79% of these patients, The correlation of CA 494 with CA 19-9 levels was lower (r = 0.532) than previously reported in pancreatic cancer. Copyri ght (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.