The Autobio carbohydrate antigen 50 (CA50) chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) kit is intended for the quantitative determination of CA50 concentration in human serum.
Tumor cells express substances in the cell membrane which are not usually produced in healthy cell membranes. The determination of these tumor-associated structures is a valuable tool in the diagnosis of malignant disorders.
Carbohydrate antigen 50 (CA50), a cancer associated carbohydrate marker, is not organ-specific and its elevated levels in serum can be observed in a variety of malignancies, especially gastrointestinal cancers (e.g. pancreatic, stomach, hepatic and colorectal cancers). Benign liver and biliary disease also are associated with increased CA50 serum levels. The mechanism whereby CA50 increases in these patients is unclear.
CA50 is a tumor marker defined by the monoclonal antibody C50 that recognizes two different structures: sialylated Lewis ganglioside antigen and sialylated lacto-N-tetraose. The CA50 antigens occur in the cell membrane in a lipid-bound form (as ganglioside) and in a form bound to a high molecular weight protein (as glycoprotein). The CA50 antigens are released by the tumors into the blood stream where they can be specifically detected by means of immunological techniques based on C50 MAB.
