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Test Name:
TA90 (Melanoma-associated Antigen)


  • SBMF No:
    33059
  • Performance Lab Name:
    Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute
  • Test Mnemonic:
    TA90
  • ABN:
    Required – Not FDA-Approved
  • CPT Code:
    86294
  • Ref Lab Test No:
    15524X
  • Also Known As:
    TA90 Immune Complex
    TA90 Monitor
  • Spec Type:
    Serum
  • Spec Container:
    Red top (serum) tube
  • Pref Vol:
    1.0 mL
  • Min Vol:
    0.5 mL
  • Fasting:
    No
  • Spec Collect:
    Routine venipuncture
  • Spec Process:
    Allow blood to clot for one hour at room temperature
    Promptly centrifuge 15 minutes
    Immediately transfer serum to separate plastic tube
  • Spec Store Transport:
    Refrigerated
  • Spec Stability:
    24 hours room temperature (20-30°C)
    7 days refrigerated (2-8°C)
    21 days frozen (-20°C) – Do not use frost-free units that undergo repeated freeze/thaw cycles
  • Methodology:
    Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
  • Use:
    This assay is indicated in the post-operative evaluation of all patients whose localized melanoma is curatively resection-potentially 90% of 50,000 new cases each year. Follow-up 4x/year for 2 years, then yearly is advised. In addition, all patients undergoing melanoma vaccine therapy require monitoring with this assay. There may also be a role for monitoring many of the 200,000+ cases with established or resection disease.
  • Reference Range:
    Normal

    This TA90 assay utilizes an antigen specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Values obtained with different assay methods or kits cannot be used interchangeably. The TA90 result should not be interpreted as absolute evidence of the presence or absence of malignant disease.

    TA90 is a 90 kd tumor-associated antigen that is expressed by >70% of melanomas. After curative resection, patients with occult metastases may exhibit elevated levels of TA90-IgG immune complex. A number of publications (1,2,3,4) have indicated TA90 to be a sensitive and specific marker of both recurrence and shortened survival. Patients with TA90 detected soon after curative, resection of AJCC Stages I-III melanoma were found to have significantly shorter overall survival (36% vs. 84%, p<0.001) and disease-free survival (24% vs. 74%, p<0.001) than TA90 negative patients (2). Similar results were found for patients with thick (>4 mm) melanomas (3). Further, serial monitoring of TA90 levels after curative resection of Stage I-III melanoma may also be useful for predicting recurrence, even for patients who were initially TA90 negative. Kelley et al. (2) found that 58 of 74 (78%) patients who developed metastases had at least 2 consecutive positive TA90 results with the first elevation detected an average of 19 months before clinical evidence of recurrence. Thus, TA90 may also be useful for selecting patients for early intervention of "late adjuvant" therapy at the discretion of the attending physician.

    References:

    1. Kelley MC, Jones RC, Gupta RK, et al. Tumor-associated antigen TA-90 immune complex assay predicts subclinical metastases and survival for patients with early stage melanoma. Cancer 1998; 83:1355-1361.

    2. Kelly MC, Gupta RK, Hsueh EC, et al. Tumor-associated antigen TA90 immune complex assay predicts recurrence and survival after surgical treatment of stage I-III melanoma. J Clin Oncol. 2001;19:1176-1182.

    3. Chung MH, Gupta RK, Essner R, et al. Serum TA90 immune complex assay can predict outcome after resection of thick (>4 mm) primary melanoma and sentinel lymphadenectomy. Ann Surg Oncol. 2002; 9:120-126.

    4. Litvak DA, Gupta RK, Yee R, et al. Endogenous immune response to early-and intermediate-stage melanoma is correlated with outcomes and is independent of locoregional relapse and standard prognostic factors. J Am Coll Surg 2004; 198:27-35.

  • Additional Test Info:
    This test was developed and its performance characteristics have been determined by Quest Diagnostics Nichols Institute, San Juan Capistrano. It has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has determined that such clearance or approval is not necessary. Performance characteristics refer to the analytical performance of the test.
  • Day Run:
    Mon
  • Time Reported:
    Next day
    This is a sendout test. Please note that turnaround time is defined as the anticipated time from set up day to results release.
  • Test Type:
    TUMOR MARKER

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