Clotted blood tube (Serum gel separator clot activator tube)

Minimum blood volume: 5 mL

Authorisation code required

Yes

(Private patient ONLY)

24 Hr available service

No

Method

Immunoassay

Reference interval

Female:

Premenopausal: < 37 kIU/L

Postmenopausal: < 47 kIU/L

(Source: from manufacturer's kit insert)

Clinical indication

Aid in the detection of recurrence in previously treated stage II and stage III breast cancer patients, and in the management of metastatic breast cancer patients by monitoring disease progression or response to treatment.

Result interpretation

Serum CA 15-3 values increase with clinical stage of breast cancer, the highest values occurring in metastatic disease.

Serial determinations of CA 15-3 are most useful as an indicator of response to therapy.

The percentage of raised values found in breast cancer can be as high as 98%, but this depends primarily on the tumor stage of the patient population studied.  Elevated levels have also been found in patients with lung cancer and ovarian cancer.