Few areas of clinical diagnosis arise as much interest among clinicians and patients as biochemical tests for tumour markers. tumour markers are evaluated for their application in screening, clinical diagnosis, monitoring, prediction of therapeutic response and prognosis. However, their most important clinical application is monitoring of cancer once it has been detected and diagnosed by other methods. Appreciation of the usefulness of these markers, either individually or in parallel, and recommendations on how they should be used has improved greatly during the past ten years. Careful interpretation of tumour marker results has led to a definite increase in their clinical significance. It is very clear that tumour markers with characteristics like those of PSA could significantly impact outcomes in other cancers.

Screening

There is currently no tumour marker recommended for screening of the general population. The most likely candidate is PSA for prostate cancer; however there is no agreement as to whether it reduces premature mortality. Most tumour markers have sensitivities that are too low and false-positive rates that are too high to make screening feasible.

Diagnosis

tumour markers are occasionally useful as pointers towards a specific diagnosis. Very high levels of some markers strongly indicate the presence of certain forms of cancer. However tumour markers alone should never be used to establish a diagnosis of malignancy.

Prognosis - Staging

Prognosis is assessed to help in selecting the appropriate therapeutic regimen. Factors important for prognosis are tumour mass, degree of tumour cell differentiation, lymph node involvement and metastasis. The traditional staging system is complemented by the proven prognostic value of several tumour markers whose concentrations are correlated with survival time.

Monitoring Disease Progression

Monitoring, the main clinical use for tumour markers, entails regular measurements of a marker to track the effectiveness of treatment intervention. A reduction in levels generally indicates successful treatment, while increases are associated with disease progression. Markers may detect tumour progression or relapse before clinical signs appear, allowing earlier treatment of non-responding or recurrent disease.

Diasorin, a forerunner in the development, production and marketing of tests for clinical oncology is present today in the oncology field with a complete range of tumour markers including both routine parameters and unique products. Additionally, Diasorin has collaborated with Centocor/Fujirebio, a world leader in the field.

Diasorin products are available in RIA, ELISA and LIAISON® formats and include markers for breast, ovarian, colorectal, stomach, pancreas, lung, prostate, bladder, germ cells, skin and thyroid cancers, as well as lymphoma, myeloma and leukemia.

Tumour marker Product Line