Introduction
Neoplastic cells sometimes elaborate "abnormal" substances or increased amounts of normal substances into the circulation. Determination of such "tumor markers" provides diagnostic and prognostic information.
Tumor markers are generally not specific indicators for a particular type of tumor, or even for the presence of a tumor. Neoplastic markers are tumor-associated, rather than tumor-specific, and are, therefore, not generally useful for cancer screening, but are mostly useful for monitoring the response to therapy:
Tumor Associated Markers | ||
Marker | Normal Tissue | Tumor Association |
---|---|---|
hormones | endocrine glands |
|
chorionic gonadotrophin ( ß HCG ) | trophoblasts |
|
Regan alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme | trophoblasts |
|
alpha feto protein | yolk sac fetal liver | - endodermal sinus (yolk sac) tumor - teratoma with yolk sac components - hepatocellular carcinoma (well differentiated) |
carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) | fetal intestine, pancreas and liver | - colorectal carcinoma - pancreatic carcinoma |
prostatic acid phosphatase | prostate | prostatic carcinoma metastasized to bone |
prostatic specific antgigen (PSA) | prostate | - prostatic hyperplasia - prostatic carcinoma |
bone alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme | osteoblasts | - primary bone tumors - metastatic bone tumors |
monoclonal immunoglobulins | plasma cells | multiple myeloma |
CA-15-3 | membrane glycoproteins | breast cancer |
CA-19-9 | colon, pancreatic carcinoma | |
CA-125 | ovarian carcinoma | |
LDH uric acid | all tissue | rapidly turning over tissue |
Last Updated on 12/04/2014