CA-50 (Kit IRMA Stena Diagnostic, cut-off value: 16 U/ml) and CA-19.9 (Kit SPAC Mallinckrodt were compared in a prospective study including 323 cancer patients (56% metastatic) and 120 patients with non neoplastic disease. The CA-50 and CA-19.9 sensitivities were 41.8% and 39% respectively; the CA-50 sensitivity was greater in the cancers of the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract (61.3% versus 51.6% alpha less than 0.00001) and did not differ in the other cases. The CA-19.9 specificity was greater (77.5% versus 64.2% alpha less than 0.0001), due to a greater specificity in the case of respiratory diseases (86.7% versus 66.7% alpha less than 0.0001). A good correlation was found between the serum levels of the two markers in each group of patients (cancer r = 0.78, alpha less than 0.001; benign diseases r = 0.69, alpha less than 0.001). This study has shown a close correlation between these two markers; the reliabilities of CA-50 and CA-19.9 were similar, particularly in the gastro-intestinal diseases (58.3% versus 51.3%). In conclusion, CA-50 and CA-19.9 are both good markers of cancers of the GI tract. Their simultaneous assay would be useless.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Regulation of animal experimentation].

Marketing authorization of numerous products: human and veterinary drugs, chemicals, agrochemicals and cosmetic products implies a minimum of animal testing. These trials are performed according to the Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) compulsory in France for drug registration. These guide lines are gradually extended to other products and tend to limit the number of animals to the strict necessity of providing a reliable information on the tolerance and possible toxicity of new products. The october 19-1987 decree of the Ministry of Agriculture as well as related decrees, complete and reinforce the previous legislation on animal experimental use in France. These texts comply with the EEC requirements and directives.

Animals↗

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Analysis of CA-125 levels in the sera of patients with non-ovarian carcinomas and non-malignant diseases.

CA-125 is known as a marker of ovarian carcinoma; it is useful in monitoring response to treatment and it is even said to be a means of detecting ovarian carcinomas. We have studied the serum levels of CA-125 in 260 patients with advanced carcinomas (excluding ovarian cancer) and in 120 patients with non-malignant diseases (excluding gynaecological diseases). Our cut-off value was 20 IU/ml. Sensitivity was 0.53 and Specificity only 0.38; sensitivity was high in lung cancer (0.56), in breast cancer (0.46) and in cancer of the stomach (0.91). Five percent of the cancer patients had values higher than 233.5 IU/ml. Sensitivity was correlated with the presence of a metastatic disease (p less than 0.001). A second assay was obtained in 163 cases; a concordance between the variation of the serum level and the clinical evolution was found in 65% cases. A high rate of false positive values was found in cases of acute pneumonia (0.74) and of gastro-intestinal diseases (0.41). In view of these results, the optimal threshold value was set at 65 IU/ml. CA-125 appears to be a useful marker in the monitoring of advanced non-ovarian carcinomas.

Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Serum levels of CA-50, CA-19.9, CA-125, CA-15.3, enolase and carcino-embryonic antigen in non neoplastic diseases of the lung.

There is not as yet a specific marker for lung cancer. We tested the specificity of six serum markers using radio-immunological assays (CA-50, CA-19.9, CA-125, CA-15.3, Enolase, CEA) in 60 patients with non-neoplastic diseases of the lung (COPD: 28 patients, acute pneumonia: 23 patients, allery: 9 patients). No correlation was found between the percentage of false positivities on the one hand, and sex, age and smoking habits on the other. CA-125 proved to be positive in 74% of acute pneumonia cases. The rate of false positive values is low with CEA (3.3%), Enolase (6.7%) and CA-15.3 (5%) and therefore the cut-off value we chose for these markers was adequate. This is not the case with CA-50, CA-19.9 and CA-125, for which we observed a high rate of false positive values (33.3%, 13.3% and 53.3% respectively) and for which higher cut-off values must be adopted.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied