Open AccessDetection of carcinomas in an asymptomatic Chinese population: advantage of screening with multiple tumor markers
Author(s) -
Tsao KuoChien,
Wu TsuLan,
Chang PiYueh,
Hong JiHong,
Wu James T.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/jcla.20102
Subject(s) - carcinoembryonic antigen , medicine , tumor marker , asymptomatic , ca 15 3 , cancer , oncology , prostate cancer , population , pancreas , pathology , cervix , prostate specific antigen , antigen , tumor m2 pk , prostate , breast cancer , ca15 3 , immunology , environmental health
A total of 73,443 asymptomatic individuals were screened on a voluntary basis for cancer at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan using a panel of tumor markers, including alpha fetoprotein (AFP), CA 125, CA 15‐3, CA 19‐9, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), prostate specific antigen (PSA), chromogranin A (CgA), and squamous cell specific antigen (SCC). The results are derived from data collected from January 1998 to October 2003. A total of 210 cancers (approximately 0.3%) were detected, including cancers of the liver, lung, colon, prostate, stomach, pancreas, breast, cervix, ovary, and bladder. Of the tumor markers monitored, elevated CA 19‐9, CEA, and CA 125 were the most frequently detected in a variety of cancers. It was surprising to find that many cancers were not detected by their dominant markers but by the elevation of tumor markers not recommended for monitoring their tumor activity. Screening with multiple circulating tumor markers provides improved sensitivity for cancer detection in asymptomatic individuals before they reach the fatal advanced stage. Screening with multiple tumor markers also allows cancers to be detected in the absence of their dominant markers. If we had not measured the multiple tumor markers, these cancers would have gone undetected. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 20:42–46, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.