Tumor-associated glycoprotein 72 (TAG-72) is a

glycoprotein Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide chains covalently attached to amino acid side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known as glycos ...

found on the surface of many

cancer cells Cancer cells are cells that divide continually, forming solid tumors or flooding the blood with abnormal cells. Cell division is a normal process used by the body for growth and repair. A parent cell divides to form two daughter cells, and these d ...

, including

ovary The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. ...

, breast, colon,

lung The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...

, and

pancreatic The pancreas is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine ...

cancers. It is a mucin-like molecule with a molar mass of over 1000 kDa. TAG-72 is a

tumor marker A tumor marker is a biomarker found in blood, urine, or body tissues that can be elevated by the presence of one or more types of cancer. There are many different tumor markers, each indicative of a particular disease process, and they are used in ...

measured with radioimmunoassays like CA 72-4, which uses the monoclonal antibodies indium (¹¹¹In) satumomab pendetide and iodine (¹²⁵I) minretumomab. This assay has a good specificity for

gastric cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

, with a correlation to the neoplasia's extension. It is used to identify relapses of the disease and to follow up the treatment. TAG-72 is also the target of the anti-cancer drugs anatumomab mafenatox and minretumomab.

References

Glycoproteins Tumor markers {{Oncology-stub