Tumor Markers

Prepared By: John Patrick T. Lizarondo John Nicholas M. Pantoja Group 5 4GMT

Tumor Markers
What are tumor markers?
Tumor markers are substances that can be found in the body when cancer is present. The classic tumor marker is a protein that can be found in the blood in higher than normal amounts when a certain type of cancer is present, but not all tumor markers are like that. Some are found in urine or other body fluid, and others are found in tumors and other tissue. They may be made by the cancer cells themselves, or by the body in response to cancer or other conditions. Most tumor markers are proteins, but some newer markers are genes or other substances.

Tumor Markers
How are tumor markers used?
Used for: Screening and early detection of cancer Diagnosing cancer Determining the outlook (prognosis) for certain cancers Seeing if certain treatments are likely to work Seeing how well treatment is working Looking for recurrent cancer

Specific Tumor Markers

1. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
- AFP can help diagnose and guide the treatment of liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). Normal levels of AFP are usually less than 10 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter). AFP levels are increased in most patients with liver cancer. AFP is also elevated in acute and chronic hepatitis, but it seldom gets above 100 ng/mL in these diseases.

Specific Tumor Markers

2. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)
-Some lung cancers have changes in the ALK gene that cause the cancer cell to make a protein that leads to out of control growth.

3. BCR-ABL
-Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cancer cells contain a new, abnormal gene called BCR-ABL. A test called PCR can find this gene in very small amounts in blood or bone marrow. In someone with blood and bone marrow changes that look like those seen with CML, finding the gene confirms the diagnosis. Also, the level of the gene can be measured and used to guide treatment.

Specific Tumor Markers

4. BRAF
-Defects (mutations) in the BRAF gene can be found in melanoma, thyroid cancer, and colorectal cancer.

5. CA 15-3
-CA 15-3 is mainly used to watch patients with breast cancer.

6. CA 19-9
-The CA 19-9 test was first developed to detect colorectal cancer, but its most often used in people with pancreatic cancer

Specific Tumor Markers

7. CA 27-29
-CA 27-29 is another marker that can be used to follow patients with breast cancer during or after treatment. This test measures the same marker as the CA 15-3 test, but in a different way.

8. CA 125
-CA 125 is the standard tumor marker used to follow women during or after treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer

Specific Tumor Markers

9. Calcitonin
-Calcitonin is a hormone produced by cells called parafollicular C cells in the thyroid gland. It normally helps regulate blood calcium levels. Normal calcitonin levels are below 5 to 12 pg/ml (picograms per milliliter). In medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), a rare cancer that starts in the parafollicular C cells, blood levels of this hormone are often greater than 100 pg/ml

Specific Tumor Markers

10. Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)
- CEA is not used to diagnose or screen for colorectal cancer, but its the preferred tumor marker to help predict outlook in patients with colorectal cancer.

11. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)

- PSA is a tumor marker for prostate cancer. PSA is a protein made by cells of the prostate gland, which is found only in men. Its the only marker used to screen for a common type of cancer, but most medical groups do not recommend using it routinely to screen all men.

Specific Tumor Markers

12. Calretinin
- Is a Vitamin-D dependent calcium-binding protein. This protein plays a role in diverse cellular functions, including message targeting and intracellular calcium buffering. - a diagnostic marker for some human diseases, including Hirschsprung disease and some cancers. 13. CD 34 - Are normally found in the umbilical cord and bone marrow as a hematopoietic cells. - is a cluster of differentiation molecule present on certain cells within the human body. It is a cell surface glycoprotein and functions as a cell-cell adhesion factor. - Associated with Solitary fibrous tumor, and Pleomorphic lipoma

Specific Tumor Markers

14. CD 99
- known as MIC2 or single-chain type-1 glycoprotein is a heavily Oglycosylated transmembrane protein that is encoded by the CD99 gene in humans. - Associated with Ewing sarcoma, and Primitive nueroectodermal tumor

15. CD 117
- also known as proto-oncogene c-Kit or tyrosine-protein kinase Kit - Associated with Gastrointestinal stromal tumor, mastocytosis

Specific Tumor Markers

16. Desmin
- is a type III intermediate filament found near the Z line in sarcomeres. It was first described in 1976, first purified in 1977,the gene was cloned in 1989. - Associated with Desmin-related myopathy (DRM or Desminopathy) 17. Placental Alkaline Phosphatase (PLAP) - Alkaline phosphatase, placental type is a membrane bound glycosylated dimeric enzyme, also referred to as the heat stable form, that is expressed primarily in the placenta although it is closely related to the intestinal form of the enzyme as well as to the placental-like form. - Associated with seminoma and ovarian cancer

Specific Tumor Markers

18. Thyroglobulin
- is a 660 kDa, dimeric protein produced by and used entirely within the thyroid gland. Tg bound to T3 and/or T4 is sometimes called a colloid. - Associated with Thyroid cancer especially papilllary or follicular thyroid cancer 19. CD 31 - also known as Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM1). is a protein that in human is encoded by the PECAM1 gene found on chromosome 17. PECAM-1 plays a key role in removing aged neutrophils from the body. - Associated with Vascular sarcoma

Specific Tumor Markers

20. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG)
- is a glycoprotein composed of 237 amino acids with a molecular mass of 25.7 kDa - It is heterodimeric, with an (alpha) subunit identical to that of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and (beta) subunit that is unique to hCG. - Associated with Seminoma, choriocarcinoma, teratoma