American Cancer Society says that tumor markers are substances that can be found in the body (usually in the blood or urine) when cancer is present. Tumor Markers can be products of the cancer cells themselves or of the body in response to cancer or other conditions. Most tumor markers are proteins .
According to Medicinenet.com the most widely used biochemical blood test for liver cancer - hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) , which is a protein normally made by the immature liver cells in the fetus. At birth, infants have relatively high levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) , which fall to normal adult levels by the first year of life.
Did you know that the first modern tumor marker used to detect cancer was human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), the substance doctors look for in pregnancy tests. Women whose pregnancy has ended but whose uterus continues to be enlarged are tested for the presence of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG).
According to published reports, The first success in developing a blood test for a common cancer was in 1965, when carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was found in the blood of some patients with colon cancer. By the end of the 1970s several other blood tests had been developed for different cancers. The new markers were often given numeric labels. There was Cancer Antigen CA 19-9 for colorectal and pancreatic cancer, CA 15-3 for breast cancer, and CA 125 for ovarian cancer.
The only tumor marker that currently allows doctors to detect early disease and is used in screening is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. PSA was discovered around the same time as the others, but it’s been in widespread use for screening since the early 1990s because it has some advantages over them.
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP): AFP is most useful in following the response to treatment for liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma).
Beta-2-microglobulin (B2M): B2M blood levels are elevated in multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and some lymphomas. Levels may also be elevated in some non-cancerous conditions, such as kidney disease
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA): CEA is the preferred tumor marker for following patients with colorectal cancer during or after treatment, although it is not useful as a screening or diagnostic test
Immunoglobulins: Immunoglobulins are antibodies, which are blood proteins normally made by immune system cells to help fight germs. There are several types of immunoglobulins, including IgA, IgG , IgD, and IgM . Bone marrow cancers such as multiple myeloma and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia often result in too many immunoglobulins in the blood (as well as in the urine)
Neuron-specific enolase (NSE): NSE, like chromogranin A, is a marker for neuroendocrine tumors such as small cell lung cancer, neuroblastoma, and carcinoid tumors. It is not used as a screening test. It is most useful in the follow-up of patients with small cell lung cancer or neuroblastoma.
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