Tumor Markers in Gynecologic Cancer

Abstract

The development of biochemical tumor markers has increased the use of antibody-dependent tumor marker assays in gynecologic oncology. Several monoclonal antibodies directed against novel epitopes on tumor-associated antigens have allowed the development of sensitive assays for serum markers. Assays for human chorionic gonadotrophin and TA-4 have been improved. CA 125 has provided a useful first-generation markers. Ovarian cystoadeno-carcinoma-associated antigen and lipid-associated sialic acid have been developed for ovarian cancer, transforming growth factor for squamous cancer, and placenta protein 4 for endometrial and cervical cancer. The most widely applied procedures to identify these markers are immunofluorescent microscopy and immunocytochemical staining. Multiple markers and modalities may be required to increase the sensitivity of tumor detection. CA 15-3 and GCDFP-15 markers have been useful in detecting breast cancer. The application of radionuclide imaging will provide a new field for the diagnosis of gynecologic malignancies.

Pretreatment serum CYFRA 21-1 level correlates significantly with survival of cervical cancer patients: A multivariate analysis of 506 cases

“…In the previous studies, several authors have reported that serum tumor markers can assess the extent of disease, monitor the response to therapy, and may be of value in detecting early recurrence of tumor after treatment in the event of cervical cancer [6,10,18]. SCC-Ag has been the best known tumor marker proposed for SCCs of the cervix until now [1,5,14,15]. Increased levels of serum SCC-Ag was observed in 28-88% of cervical cancer patients.…”

“…A large body of literature has been reported that SCC-Ag and CYERA 21-1 can be used for monitoring patients receiving therapy and for early detection of recurrence with invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. In addition, good agreement has been found between CEA and CA 125 values with progression, recurrence, and lymph node (LN) metastasis of cervical adenocarcinoma [5,14,15]. Up to now, however, the validation of tumor markers has not been fully realized in prospective studies, and it is still debated whether pretreatment tumor markers may represent a prognostic variable in cervical cancer.…”

Biomarkers in Cervical Cancer

“…Though SCC is not sufficient for use in screening, pretreatment serum SCC values works as an independent prognostic factor. Approximately 60% of patients with cervical cancer are detected with elevated levels of serum SCC at initial diagnosis, when all stages are included ( Farghaly, 1992 ). Besides, serum SSC -> SCC levels correlate significantly with tumor stage ( Crombach et al 1989 ; Duk et al 1990 ).…”

HAb18G (CD147), a cancer‐associated biomarker and its role in cancer detection

“…The antibody‐based method has been confirmed to be effective for the identification and validation of cancer biomarkers. For example, pancreatic cancer biomarker CA19.9 and ovarian cancer biomarker CA125 are two well‐known antibody‐based cancer biomarkers that are identified by generating high‐quality antibodies against proteins expressed in cancers and identifying their corresponding antigens 4,5 …”