Carbon antigen 72-4, which is produced during fetal development by cells of the gastrointestinal tract. It is also present in small amounts in the adult body.

The level of CA 72-4 increases sharply in the blood in some oncological diseases, which classifies the antigen as an oncomarker. Oncomarker is a specific protein that is found in large quantities in the blood of people with various tumors.

Analysis have shown that the most likely cause of an increase in the concentration of CA 72-4 is stomach cancer, followed by ovarian cancer. Tumors of other organs are detected in equally low ratios.

Using only the data from oncomarker analysis, it is impossible to diagnose cancer! The test is necessary to identify, at minimal financial cost, a group of people from a large number of people who need a more complex, but diagnostically significant analysis.

In the case when the oncological process is confirmed and its surgical treatment is performed, the concentration of antigen serves as a diagnostic sign of the effectiveness of treatment and the absence of metastases – its level after treatment should be minimal.

However, cancer is not always the cause of an increased amount of CA 72-4. Diseases such as inflammation of the pancreas, cirrhosis of the liver, acute lung diseases, ovarian cysts, autoimmune diseases, and some others can also lead to the appearance of CA 72-4 in the body.

Read also: "What oncomarkers can tell you", "10 main cancer symptoms worth knowing about"