Tumour Markers

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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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