Abstract
Serum Her-2/neu, CA 15-3 and CEA levels were measured in serial specimens from 54 women undergoing Herceptin® therapy for metastatic breast cancer. Tumor marker assays were performed on the Bayer Immuno 1® System, a random access automated immunochemistry analyzer. The upper limit of normal for serum Her-2/neu (15 ng/mL) was based on results obtained for 120 apparently healthy women, whereas reference values for CA 15-3 and CEA were conventional cutoff levels of 36 U/mL and 5 ng/mL, respectively. All patients had primary breast cancers that overexpressed tissue Her-2/neu by immunohistochemical technique. Pretreatment values of serum Her-2/neu were elevated in 36 patients (67%), CA 15-3 was elevated in 29 (54%), while CEA was abnormal in 23 (43%). When data for serum Her-2/neu and CA 15-3 were combined, the sensitivity for monitoring increased to 76%. Results for serum Her-2/neu may have significant predictive therapeutic implications; our data suggest that patients with abnormal pre-treatment serum Her-2/neu levels are more likely to respond to Herceptin therapy (83% response rate).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 215-220 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Clinical Ligand Assay |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2002 |
| Externally published | Yes |
