Michael J. Fisch, MD, MPH, spoke on the MS/Cancer September conference call about tumor markers. Dr. Fisch is Chair of the Department of General Oncology in the Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The monthly conference call is sponsored by the Lone Star Chapter of the National MS Society with support of the Houston office, American Cancer Society.
Tumor markers are substances that can be found in abnormal amounts in some patients with cancer. Different tumor markers are found in different types of cancer. They can be thought of as a type of biomarker. Biomarkers are defined by the American Society of Clinical Oncology as substances or biological features arising in tumor, tissue, blood, or body fluids that can be identified through tests and used to diagnose or monitor cancer and its response to treatment (http://www.cancerprogress.net/blueprint.html)
Dr. Fisch explained, “Tumor markers are proteins associated with malignancy. Doctors use tumor markers for screening purposes to identify people who are in early diagnosis of cancer.”
Tumor markers may be used to help diagnose cancer, predict a patient’s response to particular therapies, check a patient’s response to treatment or determine if the cancer has returned. In general, tumor markers are not used alone to diagnose cancer; they must be combined with other tests.
Dr. Fisch added, “A tumor marker can be used as an indictor of how that person might be best treated and how they are responding to treatment.”
The assessment process involves a team looking for clues. Care team members gather and share information to best treat the patient. Doctors concentrate on how to get the most out of screening and to spare patients unnecessary tests.
One tumor marker, CA 125, is associated with women who have an increased risk for ovarian cancer and is coupled with other information for accurate diagnosis and treatment assessment.
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels often are used to screen men for prostate cancer.
Tumor markers can lead to more personalized care and can help doctors predict what treatment might work best for that patient.
“We don’t want to treat everyone like the average person. We treat patients as individuals,” Dr. Fisch said.
“Like football, if you know what the other team defense is going to do, you have a better chance of winning. Biomarkers, in some cases, let you see what the tumor depends on. If you block that, then the tumor dries up,” Dr. Fisch said.
