Tumor Markers

Question 1

Ca 27.29

Answer 1

Cancer type: Breast cancer
How used: assess weather treatment is working or disease has recurred
Elevated in 1/3 of women with early-stage (I or II) and 2/3 of women with late-stage breast cancer (III or IV)

Question 2

Carcinoembryonic antigen (cea)

Answer 2

Cancer type: Colorectal** and breast cancer
How used: Check whether colorectal cancer has spread, to look for breast cancer recurrence and assess response to treatment
Role is to follow patients for relapse after intended curative treatment for colorectal cancer

Question 3

Cancer antigen 19-9

Answer 3

Cancer types: Pancreatic**, Gallbladder, Bile duct, and Gastric cancer
How used: assess if treatment is working
Levels above 1,000 units/ml predict presence of metastatic disease

Question 4

Alpha-fetoprotein (afp)

Answer 4

Cancer types: Liver and Germ cell tumors
How used: Help diagnose liver cancer and follows response to treatment, and assess stage, prognosis, and response to treatment of germ cell tumors

Question 5

Beta-hcg

Answer 5

Cancer types: Choriocarcinoma and testicular cancer

Tissue: Urine or blood (

Question 6

Ca 125

Answer 6

Cancer type: Ovarian cancer
How used: Help diagnose, assessment of response to treatment and evaluations
Elevated most often with epithelial ovarian cancer
Not a good screening marker
Levels should be obtained every 3 months for 2 years

Question 7

Prostate specific antigen (PSA)

Answer 7

Cancer type:  Prostate Cancer
How used:  help diagnose, assess response to treatment, and look for recurrence
Can benignly increase with Prostatitis, BPH, after ejaculation which return to normal 6-8 weeks after symptoms
Taking Finasteride (Proscar) or Dutasteride (Avodart) for 6 months will decrease PSA in half

Question 8

Only marker used to screen for a common type of cancer

Answer 8

PSA
Screen at Age 40 for African Americans and all men with family history
Age 50 for men without risk factors and a minimum life expectancy of 10 years