Tumour Markers

Tumour markers are biochemical indicators of the presence of a tumour¹. These may be produced by cancer cells or by other cells in response to cancer or benign conditions and can provide information about the cancer. These tumour markers can be detected in several sample types such as blood, urine, stool etc. and can be used as an aid in the diagnosis of some forms of cancer, predict and / or monitor treatment response and as follow up monitoring to determine reoccurrence.

Many tumour markers have been identified and characterised for use in clinical practice. Some are associated with individual cancers; some are identified with multiple cancer types, while other cancers do not have any identified associated tumour markers. Presently, no tumour marker has sufficient sensitivity or specificity to be used as a general screening tool. Tumour markers may also be detected in some noncancerous conditions; therefore, use of these tumour markers is not advised for use alone to diagnose cancer, but should be considered in conjunction with the medical history of the patients and other associated investigations.

One of the most important uses of tumour markers is for the monitoring of treatment² – a change in the level of the marker following onset of treatment is indicative of a response to the therapy and can allow adjustment of the treatment based on marker response. Other key uses of the markers are to determine relapse in patients previously in remission from the condition, e.g. prostate specific antigen for prostate cancer, human chorionic gonadotrophin for germ cell tumours of ovaries and testicles and CA-125 for epithelial ovarian cancer².

1. Bhatt AN, Mathur R, Farooque A, Verma A, Dwarakanath BS. Cancer biomarkers – Current perspectives. Indian J Med Res. 2010;132:129–49.
2. Nagpal M, Singh S, Singh P, Chauhan P, Zaidi MA. Tumor markers: A diagnostic tool. Natl J Maxillofac Surg. 2016;7(1):17-20.