|
Tumor Markers |
Cancers |
What else? |
When/How Used |
Usual Sample |
|
AFP (Alpha-feto protein) |
Liver, germ cell cancer of ovaries or testes |
Also elevated during pregnancy |
Help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence |
Blood |
|
B2M (Beta-2 microglobulin)
|
Multiple myeloma
and lymphomas |
Present in many other conditions, including Crohn’s disease and hepatitis; often used to determine cause of renal failure |
Determine prognosis |
Blood |
|
BTA (Bladder tumor antigen) |
Bladder |
Gaining acceptance |
Help diagnose and determine recurrence |
Urine |
|
CA 15-3 (Cancer antigen 15-3) |
Breast and others including lung, ovarian |
Also elevated in benign breast conditions; doctor can use CA 15-3 or CA 27.29 (two different assays for same marker) |
Stage disease, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence |
Blood |
|
CA 19-9 (Cancer antigen 19-9) |
Pancreatic, sometimes colorectal and bile ducts |
Also elevated in pancreatitis and inflammatory bowel disease |
Stage disease, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence |
Blood |
|
CA 72-4 (Cancer antigen 72-4) |
Ovarian |
No evidence that it is better than CA-125 but may be useful when combined with it |
Help diagnose |
Blood |
|
CA-125 (Cancer antigen 125) |
Ovarian |
Also elevated with endo-metriosis, some other diseases and benign conditions; not recommended as a general screen |
Help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence |
Blood |
|
Calcitonin |
Thyroid medullary carcinoma |
Also elevated in pernicious anemia and thyroiditis |
Help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence |
Blood |
|
CEA (Carcino-embryonic antigen) |
Colorectal, 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 |
|
EGFR (Her-1) |
solid tumors, such as of the lung (non small cell), head and neck, colon, pancreas, or breast |
Not available in every laboratory |
Guide treatment and determine prognosis |
Tissue |
Estrogen receptors |
Breast |
Increased in hormone- dependent cancer |
Determine prognosis and guide treatment |
Tissue |
|
hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin) |
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 |
|
NSE (Neuron-specific enolase) |
Neuroblastoma, small cell lung cancer |
May be better than CEA for following this particular kind of lung cancer |
Monitor treatment |
Blood |
|
NMP22 |
Bladder |
Not widely used |
Help diagnose and determine recurrence |
Urine |
|
Progesterone receptors
|
Breast |
Increased in hormone-dependent cancer |
Determine prognosis and guide treatment |
Tissue |
|
PSA (Prostate specific antigen), total and free |
Prostate |
Elevated in benign prostatic hypertrophy, prostatitis and with age |
Screen for and help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence |
Blood |
|
Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) |
Prostate |
Not widely used, levels increase normally with age |
Help diagnose |
Blood |
|
Prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) |
Metastatic prostate cancer, myeloma, lung cancer |
Not widely used anymore, elevated in prostatitis and other conditions |
Help diagnose |
Blood |
|
S-100 |
Metastatic melanoma |
Not widely used |
Help diagnose |
Blood |
|
TA-90 |
Metastatic melanoma |
Not widely used, being studied |
Help diagnose |
Blood |
|
Thyroglobulin
|
Thyroid |
Used after thyroid is removed to evaluate treatment |
Determine recurrence |
Blood |
