An enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative measurement of CA 72‑4 (TAG-72) in serum and plasma.
- High quality assays with reproducible and reliable results
- Ready-to-use reagents with internal controls
- Very good precision and sensitivity
- Short assay time and incubation steps at room temperature
- Simple and technician friendly tests
CA 72‑4 (Cancer antigen 72-4) was originally described as an antigenic determinant recognized by B 72.3, a murine monoclonal antibody raised against a membrane extract of mammary carcinoma metastases
The DRG TM‑CA 72‑4 ELISA Kit is a solid phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the sandwich principle. The microtiter wells are coated with a monoclonal mouse antibody (Clone CC49) directed towards a unique antigenic site on a CA 72‑4 molecule. An aliquot of patient sample containing endogenous CA 72‑4 is incubated in the coated well with enzyme conjugate, which is an anti-CA 72‑4 antibody (Clone B72.3) conjugated with horseradish peroxidase. After incubation the unbound conjugate is washed off. The amount of bound peroxidase is proportional to the concentration of CA 72‑4 in the sample. Having added the substrate solution, the intensity of colour developed is proportional to the concentration of CA 72‑4 in the patient sample.
CA 72‑4 was identified as a 1 MDa mucine-like Glycoprotein complex termed TAG-72 (tumor associated antigen 72). The molecular weight of the TAG-72 protein is 48 kD. Elevated CA 72‑4 levels in serum and plasma have been reported in various malignant diseases including carcinomas of pancreas, stomach, gall, colon, breast, ovaries, cervix and endometrium. The highest diagnostic sensitivities are found for carcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract and ovaries. Although some benign diseases such as rheumatic diseases or ovary cysts may also result in elevated levels of CA 72‑4, clinical studies demonstrated diagnostic specificities of more than 95% for gastrointestinal and ovarian malignancies. There is a good correlation between CA 72‑4 levels and tumor stage and size. CA 72‑4 is the marker of choice for the therapeutic monitoring and follow-up care of gastrointestinal cancer patients. Suitable second markers are CA 19-9 or CEA. Additionally, CA 72‑4 has been used as an independent marker for the therapeutic monitoring and follow-up care of ovarian cancer patients, in particular in CA 125 negative patients.
