Does the NCI have guidelines for the use of tumor markers?
No, the NCI does not have such guidelines. However, some organizations do have these guidelines for some types of cancer. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), a nonprofit organization that represents more than 25,000 cancer professionals worldwide, has published clinical practice guidelines on a variety of topics, including tumor markers for breast and colorectal cancer. These guidelines, called Patient Guides, are available on the ASCO Web site at http://www.cancer.net/patient/ASCO+Resources/Patient+Guides on the Internet. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN), which is also a nonprofit organization, is an alliance of cancer centers. The NCCN provides Patient Guidelines, which include tumor marker information for several types of cancer. Most of the guidelines are available in English and Spanish versions. The Patient Guidelines are on the NCCN’s Web site at http://www.nccn.org/patients/patient_gls.asp on the Internet. The National Academy of Clinical Biochemi
