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	TUMOR MARKERS

 

Most Commonly Used Tumor Markers 

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
CA 15-3 (Cancer antigen 15-3)	Breast Cancer 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, bile ducts, and some types of ovarian cancer	Also elevated in pancreatitis and inflammatory bowel disease	Stage disease, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence	Blood
CA 125 (Cancer antigen 125)	Ovarian	Also elevated with endometriosis some other benign diseases and 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
Chromogranin A (CgA)	Neuroendocrine tumors (carcinoid tumors, neuroblastoma)	May be most sensitive tumor marker for carcinoid tumors	To help diagnose and monitor	Blood
Estrogen receptors	Breast	Increased in hormone-dependent cancer	Determine prognosis and guide treatment	Tissue
hCG (Human chorionic gonadotropin)	Testicular and trophoblastic disease	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 specific antigen), total and free	Prostate	Elevated in benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis and with age	Screen for and help diagnose, monitor treatment, and determine recurrence	Blood
Thyroglobulin	Thyroid	Used after thyroid is removed to evaluate treatment	Determine recurrence	Blood

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BTA (Bladder tumor antigen)	Bladder	Not widely available, but gaining acceptance	Help diagnose and determine recurrence	Urine
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; still being studied	Help diagnose	Bold
Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP)	Hepatocellular carconoma (HCC)	New test; often used along with an imaging study plus AFP and/or AFP-L3% to evaluate if someone with chronic liver disease has developed HCC	To evaluate risk of developing HCC; to evaluate treatment; to monitor for 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
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
PSMA (Prostate-specific membrane antigen	Prostate	Not widely used anymore; levels increase normally with age	Help diagnose	Blood
PAP (Prostatic acid phosphatase)	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 diagnsoe	Blood
SMRP (Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptides)	Mesothelioma	Often used in conjunction with imaging tests	To monitor progression or recurrence	Blood
TA-90	Metastatic melanoma	Not widely used, being studied	Help diagnose	Blood