Because they lack specificity and accuracy, their use is limited. False positives can cause emotional distress and fear. It is not yet determined if there is a savings of life or money with testing.
Tumor marker tests usually require 5-10 mL of blood.
Each tumor marker has a unique life span in the blood. To monitor a treatment's success, enough time must have passed for the initial marker to be cleared from the blood. Tests done too soon may be falsely elevated.
A CEA is a tumor marker for colon cancer
The Bence-Jones protein is secreted into the urine where it can be measured. It was the first tumor marker identified.
M2-PK is a new tumor marker for ovarian cancer with a sensitivity of approximately 70%
Conclusions based on tumor marker tests are seldom based on one test result but on a series of test results, called serial measurements. A series of increasing or decreasing values is more significant than a single value.
It is a tumor marker for cancer of the colon and rectum
carcinoembryonic antigen, it is a tumor marker test.
Human chorionic gonadotropin
PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland and can be overproduced in prostate cancer. It is perhaps the best tumor marker in use because of its tissue specificity, meaning that it is produced only by the prostate.
AFP : alpha feto protein. This is the main tumour marker used in germ cell tumours, i.e. testicular, ovarian and teratoma. AFP also is the most specific and ideal tumor marker for primary carcinoma of liver (Hepatocellular Carcinoma)
Tumor markers are substances, usually proteins, that are produced by the body in response to cancer growth or by the cancer tissue itself.