A pragmatic review of tumor markers risk assessment analysis (screening) Conference Paper

  


Author: Schwartz, M. K.
Title: A pragmatic review of tumor markers risk assessment analysis (screening)
Conference Title: 23rd National Clinical Ligand Assay Society Meeting (CLAS)
Abstract: It is intuitively believed that early detection of cancer leads to earlier treatment, better survival and less morbidity. This statement is validated by the experience with mammography in breast cancer, pap smears in cervical cancer and focal occult blood in cancers of the colon and rectum. The question is whether tumor marker assays can be helpful in these diseases as well as other cancers. For purposes of this discussion and perhaps a general proposal is that gene and oncogene assays in risk assessment be considered tumor markers. The most important development in the use of circulating tumor markers in risk assessment and initial detection of cancer is prostate specific antigen (PSA) in prostate cancer. The availability of this assay has played an important role for better or worse in increasing the projection of new cases of prostate cancer to 314,000 cases in 1996, a doubling in the past five years. Since there is general agreement that PSA alone is not the ultimate answer and in itself may lead to needless and expensive biopsies and treatment, the question remains how to effectively combine PSA with other markers to remove 'noise' and to identify those prostate cancers which are truly significant and will become aggressive. Ovarian cancer, the most deadly of the gynecologic cancers, can be successfully treated if detected early. Efforts are now underway to develop algorithms involving CA 125 which can be used for this purpose. The role of markers and gene essays in breast cancer is of considerable public interest. It is in breast cancer that these markers can be exploited in high risk groups (family history, ethnic background, etc.). It is important to discuss the reliability of these assays, the expense of their performance and the ethical consideration of predicting a cancer which may not occur for many years if at all.
Keywords: cancer risk; conference paper; genetic analysis; prostate specific antigen; ovary cancer; breast cancer; cancer screening; tumor marker; risk assessment; prostate cancer; oncogene; mammography; colon cancer; ca 125 antigen; sigmoidoscopy; cost benefit analysis; occult blood; papanicolaou test
Journal Title Journal of Clinical Ligand Assay
Volume: 20
Issue: 1
Conference Dates: 1997 Mar 23-27
Conference Location: Chicago, IL
ISBN: 1081-1672
Publisher: Clinical Ligand Assay Society  
Date Published: 1997-03-01
Start Page: 152
End Page: 154
Language: English
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0030893895&partnerID=40&md5=5f0c0972a6288f1974bf812ba2b3b4a8
Notes: Conference Paper -- Export Date: 17 March 2017 -- Source: Scopus