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Report Delivery
2 Days
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Free Sample Collection
Bookings above 500
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Pre - Instruction
No preparation required.
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Covid Safety
Assured
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| Test Details |
| Test Code |
BOBT00076 |
| Test Category |
Individual Test |
| Sample Type |
Blood |
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Details of CA 15-3
What is CA 15-3?
Also Known As: CA-Breast Cancer, Antigen-Breast
Formal Name: Cancer Antigen 15-3
Cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) is a protein that is produced by normal breast cells. In many people with cancerous breast tumors, there is an increased production of CA 15-3 and the related cancer antigen 27.29. CA 15-3 does not cause cancer; rather, it is shed by the tumor cells and enters the blood. This test measures CA 15-3 in the blood.
Since CA 15-3 can be measured in the blood, it is useful as a tumor marker to follow the course of the cancer. CA 15-3 is elevated in fewer than 50% of women with early localized, breast cancer or with a small tumor, but is elevated in about 80% of those with breast cancer that has spread (metastatic). Because not all women with invasive breast cancer will have elevated CA 15-3, the test is not useful in all cases.
CA 15-3 is not recommended as a screening test to detect breast cancer in women because it is non-specific. It may also be elevated in healthy people and in individuals with other cancers such as colon, lung, pancreas, ovarian, or prostate malignancies or certain conditions such as cirrhosis, hepatitis, and benign breast disease.
How is it used?
The cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) test and the related CA 27.29 test are mainly used to monitor response to breast cancer treatment and to help watch for breast cancer recurrence. They are used along with other clinical evaluations and tests, such as estrogen and progesterone receptors, Her2/neu, and gene expression tests for breast cancer (e.g., Oncotype DX, MammoPrint), to evaluate a person’s breast cancer.
CA 15-3 is sometimes ordered to provide a general sense of how much cancer may be present (the tumor burden). CA 15-3 can only be used as a marker if the cancer is producing elevated amounts of it, so this test is not useful for all people with breast cancer.
The CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 tests are not sensitive or specific enough to use as a screening test for cancer because non-cancerous conditions can cause elevated levels.
