Tumor markers

Question 1

PSA

Answer 1

Prostate-specific antigen. Used to screen for prostate carcinoma. Can also be elevated in BPH (bening prostatic hyperplasia) and prostatitis.

Question 2

Prostatic acid phosphatase

Answer 2

Prostate carcinoma.

Question 3

CEA

Answer 3

Carcinoembryonic antigen. Very nonspecific by produced by ~70% of colorectal and pancreatic cancers; also produced by gastric, breast, and thyroid medullary carcinomas.

Question 4

α-fetoprotein

Answer 4

Normally made by the fetus. Hepatocellular carcinomas. Nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis (e.g., yolk sac tumor).

Question 5

β-hCG

Answer 5

Hydatidiform moles, Choriocarcinomas, and Gestational trophoblastic tumors.

Question 6

CA-125

Answer 6

Ovarian, malignant epithelial tumors.

Question 7

S-100

Answer 7

Melanoma, neural tumors, astrocytomas.

Question 8

Alkaline phosphatase

Answer 8

Metastases to bone, obstructive biliary disease, Paget’s disease of bone.

Question 9

Bombesin

Answer 9

Neuroblastoma, lung and gastric cancer.

Question 10

TRAP

Answer 10

Tartrate-resistant acid-phosphatase. Hairy cell leukemia– a B-cell neoplasm.

TRAP the hairy animal.

Question 11

CA-19-9

Answer 11

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Question 12

Calcitonin

Answer 12

Thyroid medullary carcinoma.