Tumor Markers and Their Use in Clinical Practice
Keywords:
tumor markers, prostate specific antigen, tissue polypeptide antigen, alpha-fetoproteinAbstract
Tumor markers known also as cancer or oncological markers are substances produced either by tumor or normal cells as a response to the presence of cancer. The markers are used for the detection, diagnosis, prognosis and control of treatment. There is no absolutely specific or universal cancer marker; therefore different markers for different cancer types are used in clinical practice. A problematic feature of cancer markers is their falsely positive results under physiological and non-cancer conditions.