A Tumor Marker is defined
as the following if you dont mind me interjecting:
Used for monitoring
disease status. Markers are blood tests that are drawn periodically
throughout your treatment to see if the treatments are working. They
are repeated after therapy is completed at follow-up visits, to determine if
your disease is stable or under control. Any fluctuation or change in
tumor marker results will be analyzed with other tests, as tumor markers are
not 100% accurate. Together they can provide information that your doctor can
use to evaluate the status of your disease. Now there is not a tumor marker
specific for all malignancies. Here are some of or most of the tumor markers
known.
Cea-commonly for colon, breast, lung, rectal and
pancreatic
Ca-15-3- commonly know as the breast cancer
antigen
CA19-9 Commonly used primarily for those with cancers
of the colon or rectum. May be useful for some pancreatic and stomach
cancers.
CA-125 Antigen has been shown to be elevated in some
patients who have Ovarian cancer
PSA Antigen
in the presence of those that indicate Prostate tumor cells
g-HCG
(beta human chorionic Gonadotropin) is a very specific and sensitive test
used to diagnos and monito choriocarcinoma, hydatiform moles and some
testicular cancers
AFP (Alpha FetoProtein) to monitor certain liver
cancers and with the b-HCG used to help diagnose and monitor some testicular
cancers
HOpe this information helps. There may be a few other tumor
markers, but I don't have privy to that info.
