Background: The clinical usefulness of tumor markers in the follow-up care of invasive breast cancer is controversial.
Methods: In 1228 serum samples of 664 women with history of breast cancer, the diagnostic accuracy and predictive power of CEA and CA 15-3 for the detection of disease relapse was determined prospectively by analyzing the clinical course for at least 6 months after the measurement of the tumor markers in 1994.
Results: A total of 76 patients relapsed during the period of study. The diagnostic accuracy was 83% for CEA and 88% for CA 15-3. CEA and CA 15-3 had a positive predictive value of 27% and 47% as well as a negative prediction of 91% and 93%, respectively.
Conclusions: The low positive predictive value and sensitivity of these tumor markers clearly limit their clinical utility. Therefore, the effectiveness of routine determinations during the follow-up seems questionable.