What is CA 72-4?
CA 72-4 is the abbreviation for “cancer antigen 72-4” or “carbohydrate antigen 72-4”. This compound of sugar and protein (glycoprotein) is a tumor marker that is found on the surface of various cancer cells.
This is very often the case with stomach and ovarian cancer. Doctors determine the CA 72-4 value in the blood of affected patients before starting treatment. If the cancer cells have this marker, it is an indicator of the success of the treatment during the course of therapy. For example, if a patient with stomach cancer responds well to chemotherapy, this is reflected in the measured values of CA 72-4: an initially elevated value decreases significantly because the number of tumor cells shrinks as a result of the therapy.
In addition to cancer, other diseases can also increase the CA 72-4 value (see below).
What are the normal values for CA 72-4?
In general, CA 72-4 should not exceed a maximum value of 4.6 U/ml (= units per milliliter). However, depending on the laboratory and test methodology, sometimes a different maximum value applies.
There is no such thing as a CA 72-4 value that is too low.
When is the CA 72-4 value elevated?
CA 72-4 is found in the stomach and intestinal mucosa of a fetus. In healthy adults, however, only very low levels of this tumor marker should be measurable. Otherwise, a disease is probably present:
As a rule, doctors also determine other relevant tumor markers such as CA 19-9 (for gastric carcinomas) and CA 125 (for ovarian carcinomas) for gastric and ovarian cancer.
The following list contains the most common diseases that can cause CA 72-4 to rise:
- Diseases of the ovaries (such as ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts)
- stomach cancer
- Intestinal diseases
- Liver diseases (such as liver inflammation = hepatitis, liver cirrhosis)
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
- Pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs)
- rheumatoid diseases
What to do if CA 72-4 values are elevated?
If your CA 72-4 is elevated, your doctor will discuss the reason for this with you. The underlying cause of the disease – for example cancer, liver inflammation or ovarian cysts – requires appropriate treatment. If, for example, the elevated CA 72-4 value does not decrease during ongoing cancer treatment, the treatment will probably need to be adjusted or extended.
Your doctor can also give you tips on how you can support the treatment of your disease. If, for example, an inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) is responsible for your elevated CA 72-4 value, you should definitely avoid alcohol. This puts additional strain on the inflamed organ.
