Serum tumour markers.

Not only for first time diag of cancer, Tumour markers also help in early detection of recurrence relapses and metastasis. However it is the rate of change of the tumour marker level which is more important than its absolute vale. These tests should not be used as a screening test but should be correlated with other clinical criteria.

Why Tumour markers & PET scan are getting popular in day to day practice by oncologist??  What are the Clinical Applications of T markers?? - Mass screening, differential diagnosis in symptomatic patient’s clinical staging estimating tumour volume prognostic indicator of disease progression detecting recurrence evaluating the success of treatment and monitoring response to therapy.

When to order such tesys: Moneybmatters, more concern is apprehension & psychology of the woman or man concerbed. I knew one young adult who was married and had a report of Azoospermia from an suboptimal Lb. He was depressed. But another reputed lab at metro city confirmed normal seminal parameters, He committed suicide before the exact report was received later by family members. At that time no CPA was therte in 1968.Recommendations for ordering Tumour Marker tests:

Never rely on the result of a single test: Due to no specificity associated with most tumour markers it may become difficult to distinguish between malignant and benign disease on the basis of a single test result. Levels within the normal range do not preclude the presence of cancer nor are elevated results an absolute indication of malignancy. Serial testing is recommended because most elevations in benign diseases are transient whereas in malignant diseases the level will remain elevated or rise continuously. Test results should always be interpreted in conjunction with other clinical and laboratory findings.

Serial testing should be ordered from the same laboratory using the same assay kit: This is important in order to ensure that changes observed in the tumour marker levels during the monitoring process is caused by a change in tumour volume or other tumour activities and not by laboratory variability because different commercial kits can generate different results.