What are tumor markers?
A tumor marker is a substance, which is produced by cells in response to the presence of a tumor. There are different markers for different cancers. Tumor markers may be raised if a particular type of cancer is present. However, tumor markers can also be elevated due to non cancerous (benign) conditions.
Tumor markers are substances that can be found in the body when cancer is present. They are most often found in the blood or urine, but they can also be found in tumors and other tissue. They can be products of the cancer cells themselves, or made by the body in response to cancer or other conditions. Most tumor markers are proteins. There are many different tumor markers. Some are seen only in a single type of cancer, while others can be found in many types of cancer. To test for a tumor marker, the doctor most often sends a sample of the patient’s blood or urine to a lab. The marker is usually found by combining the blood or urine with man-made antibodies that react with the tumor marker protein. Sometimes a piece of the tumor itself is tested for tumor markers. For many reasons, tumor markers alone are usually not enough to know if cancer is present. Most tumor markers can be made by normal cells as well as by cancer cells. Sometimes, non-cancerous diseases can also cause levels of
Tumor markers are substances produced by tumor cells or by other cells of the body in response to cancer or certain benign (noncancerous) conditions. These substances can be found in the blood, in the urine, in the tumor tissue, or in other tissues. Different tumor markers are found in different types of cancer, and levels of the same tumor marker can be altered in more than one type of cancer. In addition, tumor marker levels are not altered in all people with cancer, especially if the cancer is early stage. Some tumor marker levels can also be altered in patients with noncancerous conditions. To date, researchers have identified more than a dozen substances that seem to be expressed abnormally when some types of cancer are present. Some of these substances are also found in other conditions and diseases. Scientists have not found markers for every type of cancer. • What are risk markers? Some people have a greater chance of developing certain types of cancer because of a change, know
