Tumour Markers

Question 1

Define ‘tumour marker’.

Answer 1

Any substance that can, or may, be related to the presence or progress of a tumour

Question 2

There are __________ expressed on cell surfaces that can be used as tumour markers.

Answer 2

Antigen

Question 3

Clinical chemistry laboratory usually involved in testing for the ___________ tumour markers, i.e., tumour markers in solution.

Answer 3

Secreted

Question 4

True or false: markers are not necessarily unique products of malignant cells.

Answer 4

True

Question 5

List two hormones that may act as tumour markers.

Answer 5

Calcitonin and human chorionic gonadotrophin

Question 6

True or false: prostatic acid phosphatase is an enzyme that is a viable tumour marker.

Answer 6

True

Question 7

Name a tumour antigen.

Answer 7

Prostate-specific antigen

Question 8

Some proteins, like _________________, are tumour markers.

Answer 8

Immunoglobins

Question 9

List three tumour-marking genetic mutations.

Answer 9

KRAS, p53, and BRCA

Question 10

True or false: tumour marker genes are useless in treatment monitoring, or in assessing progression of the disease.

Answer 10

False

Question 11

‘If incidence of cancer is high in certain populations tumour markers may be used as screening tool’. Give an example of a tumour marker, and the appropriate population, to which this applies.

Answer 11

Prostate-specific antigen, in men

Question 12

A ___________ in concentration of the tumour marker is an indication of the success of treatment e.g., surgery or chemotherapy.

Answer 12

Decline

Question 13

Detection in _______ when there is clinical evidence of the tumour will often confirm the diagnosis.

Answer 13

Blood

Question 14

For tumour markers that do not look at reference values/normal range, what is more appropriate is ‘__________ _______’.

Answer 14

Decision level

Question 15

The __________ _______ model uses sensitivity, specificity, and prevalence of disease.

Answer 15

Predictive value

Question 16

State three qualities of an ideal tumour marker.

Answer 16

Responds rapidly to tumour size

Specific for type and size of malignancy

Detectable only when the given malignancy is present

Question 17

Name a valuable marker for both hepatocellular carcinomas and testicular carcinomas.

Answer 17

α-fetoprotein

Question 18

True or false: α-fetoprotein concentration correlates with the tumour size of hepatocellular carcinomas.

Answer 18

False

Question 19

Why should CA 125 not be used when screening asymptomatic females?

Answer 19

May be elevated in benign conditions, such as endometriosis, and chronic renal failure

Question 20

____ ___ is elevated in 80-85% of all cases of epithelial ovarian cancer, but only increased in 50% of early stage cancer.

Answer 20

CA 125

Question 21

Prostate-specific antigen involves ________ ________.

Answer 21

Serine protease

Question 22

True or false: prostate-specific antigen is detectable in the plasma of ‘normal’ male population.

Answer 22

True

Question 23

If using the cut-off of __ ___/__, the specificity of PSA is 97% in men >40 years of age.

Answer 23

4 μg/L

Question 24

_________ prostate-specific antigen is increased in cancer.

Answer 24

Bound

Question 25

What now-obsolete enzyme was a precursor to prostate-specific antigen?

Answer 25

Prostate-specific acid phosphatase

Question 26

___ ___-__ may be elevated in pancreatic, gastric and colorectal cancer.

Answer 26

CA 19-9

Question 27

What is the main clinical use of CA 19-9?

Answer 27

Diagnosis and monitoring of pancreatic cancer patients

Question 28

Carcinoembryonic antigen elevated in approximately 60% of patients with __________ cancer.

Answer 28

Colorectal

Question 29

True or false: carcinoembryonic antigen is not sensitive or specific enough for screening.

Answer 29

True

Question 30

When is faecal occult blood testing used?

Answer 30

Colorectal cancer screening

Question 31

Guaiac FOB detects the ______ component.

Answer 31

Haem

Question 32

______________ FOB is the antibody detection of the globin component of human haemoglobin.

Answer 32

Immunochemical