Tumour Markers
Common Tumor Markers Currently in Use
| tumor markers | cancers | What else? | When/how used | Usual sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFP |
Liver, germ cell cancer of ovaries or testes | Also elevated during pregnancy and in hepatitis | Help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence | Blood |
| CA 15-3 | Breast and others including lung, ovarian | Also elevated in benign breast conditions. | Stage disease, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence | Blood |
| CA 19-9 | Pancreatic, sometimes bowel and bile ducts | Also elevated in pancreatitis and inflammatory bowel disease | Stage disease, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence | Blood |
| CA-125 | Ovarian | Also elevated with endometriosis, some other diseases and benign conditions; not recommended as a general screen | Stage disease, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence | Blood |
| CEA | Bowel, lung, breast, thyroid, pancreatic, liver, cervix, and bladder | Elevated in other conditions such as hepatitis, COPD, colitis, pancreatitis, and in cigarette smokers | Monitor treatment and determine recurrence | Blood |
| Oestrogen receptors | Breast | Increased in hormone- dependent cancer | Determine prognosis and guide treatment | Tissue |
| hCG | Testicular and trophoblastic | Elevated in pregnancy, testicular failure | Help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence | Blood, urine |
| Her-2/neu | Breast | Oncogene that is present in multiple copies in 20-30% of invasive breast cancer | Determine prognosis and guide treatment | Tissue |
| Monoclonal immunoglobulins | Multiple myeloma and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia | Overproduction of an immunoglobulin or antibody, usually detected by protein electrophoresis | Help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence | Blood, urine |
| Progesterone receptors | Breast | Increased in hormone-dependent cancer | Determine prognosis and guide treatment | Tissue |
| PSA | Prostate | Elevated in benign prostatic hypertrophy, prostatitis and with age | Help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence | Blood |
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