{"entity":{"id":"tumour-markers","kind":"term","name":"Tumour markers (CEA, LDH, chromogranin, thyroglobulin)","aka":["tumour marker","tumor marker","tumor markers","serum markers","CEA","LDH","Lactate dehydrogenase","lactate dehydrogenase","LDH level","raised LDH","elevated LDH","chromogranin","thyroglobulin","calcitonin","beta-hCG","hCG","5-HIAA","NSE","CA 15-3","CA 72-4"],"tldr":"Substances released into the blood by some cancers that can be measured with a simple test, useful for tracking whether treatment is working or the cancer is coming back, but rarely good enough to diagnose or screen.","summary":"CEA is followed after colorectal cancer surgery and in monitoring metastatic disease. LDH is prognostic in melanoma, lymphoma (part of the IPI) and germ cell tumours; AFP and hCG diagnose and stage testicular cancer; chromogranin A and 5-HIAA track neuroendocrine tumours; thyroglobulin monitors differentiated thyroid cancer after thyroidectomy and calcitonin monitors medullary thyroid cancer; PSA, CA-125 and CA 19-9 have their own entries. Markers rise in benign conditions too, so they are interpreted as trends alongside imaging; ctDNA is increasingly the more specific alternative.","asOf":"2026-09-09","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumor_marker","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumor_marker"}],"tags":[],"related":["ctdna","cfdna","muc16"],"cancers":["colorectal","neuroendocrine","thyroid","melanoma"],"sections":["diagnostics"],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Biomarkers"},"route":"/terms/tumour-markers/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"cfdna","kind":"term","name":"Cell-free DNA (cfDNA)","route":"/terms/cfdna/"},{"id":"ctdna","kind":"term","name":"Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA)","route":"/terms/ctdna/"},{"id":"flipi","kind":"term","name":"FLIPI, FLIPI2 and POD24 (follicular lymphoma risk)","route":"/terms/flipi/"},{"id":"m-protein-free-light-chains","kind":"term","name":"M-protein, immunofixation and serum free light chains","route":"/terms/m-protein-free-light-chains/"},{"id":"mcpyv-status","kind":"term","name":"Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) status","route":"/terms/mcpyv-status/"},{"id":"radioiodine-term","kind":"term","name":"Radioiodine therapy (I-131)","route":"/terms/radioiodine-term/"},{"id":"smoldering-myeloma","kind":"term","name":"Smouldering myeloma / MGUS","route":"/terms/smoldering-myeloma/"},{"id":"urinary-catecholamines","kind":"term","name":"Urinary catecholamine metabolites (VMA and HVA)","route":"/terms/urinary-catecholamines/"}],"target":[{"id":"muc16","kind":"target","name":"MUC16 (CA-125)","route":"/targets/muc16/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"cup-favourable-subsets","kind":"cancer","name":"Cancer of unknown primary, favourable subsets","route":"/cancers/cup-favourable-subsets/"},{"id":"testicular-choriocarcinoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Choriocarcinoma of the testis","route":"/cancers/testicular-choriocarcinoma/"},{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"},{"id":"embryonal-carcinoma-testis","kind":"cancer","name":"Embryonal carcinoma of the testis","route":"/cancers/embryonal-carcinoma-testis/"},{"id":"extragonadal-germ-cell-tumour","kind":"cancer","name":"Extragonadal germ cell tumour","route":"/cancers/extragonadal-germ-cell-tumour/"},{"id":"germ-cell-neoplasia-in-situ","kind":"cancer","name":"Germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS)","route":"/cancers/germ-cell-neoplasia-in-situ/"},{"id":"high-risk-gtn","kind":"cancer","name":"High-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (FIGO score 7 or more, including ultra-high-risk)","route":"/cancers/high-risk-gtn/"},{"id":"low-risk-gtn","kind":"cancer","name":"Low-risk gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (FIGO score 0 to 6)","route":"/cancers/low-risk-gtn/"},{"id":"mediastinal-germ-cell-tumour","kind":"cancer","name":"Mediastinal germ cell tumour","route":"/cancers/mediastinal-germ-cell-tumour/"},{"id":"melanoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Melanoma","route":"/cancers/melanoma/"},{"id":"neuroendocrine","kind":"cancer","name":"Neuroendocrine tumours","route":"/cancers/neuroendocrine/"},{"id":"pancreatic","kind":"cancer","name":"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/pancreatic/"},{"id":"placental-site-trophoblastic-tumour","kind":"cancer","name":"Placental-site trophoblastic tumour and epithelioid trophoblastic tumour","route":"/cancers/placental-site-trophoblastic-tumour/"},{"id":"retroperitoneal-germ-cell-tumour","kind":"cancer","name":"Retroperitoneal germ cell tumour","route":"/cancers/retroperitoneal-germ-cell-tumour/"},{"id":"spermatocytic-tumour","kind":"cancer","name":"Spermatocytic tumour of the testis","route":"/cancers/spermatocytic-tumour/"},{"id":"thyroid","kind":"cancer","name":"Thyroid cancer","route":"/cancers/thyroid/"},{"id":"yolk-sac-tumour-postpubertal","kind":"cancer","name":"Yolk sac tumour of the testis, postpubertal type","route":"/cancers/yolk-sac-tumour-postpubertal/"}],"section":[{"id":"diagnostics","kind":"section","name":"Diagnostics & Biomarkers","route":"/fronts/diagnostics/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-fahrmann-ca19-9-lead-time-gastroenterology-2021","kind":"paper","name":"Lead-Time Trajectory of CA19-9 as an Anchor Marker for Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection","route":"/key-papers/paper-fahrmann-ca19-9-lead-time-gastroenterology-2021/"},{"id":"paper-tempero-ca19-9-lewis-antigens-cancer-res-1987","kind":"paper","name":"Relationship of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 and Lewis antigens in pancreatic cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-tempero-ca19-9-lewis-antigens-cancer-res-1987/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"pancreatic-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Pancreatic cancer roadmap: from Whipple's operation to gemcitabine, FOLFIRINOX, adjuvant chemotherapy, PARP inhibition, KRAS inhibition, vaccines and the surveillance question","route":"/roadmaps/pancreatic-roadmap/"}],"journal":[{"id":"tumour-biology","kind":"journal","name":"Tumour biology","route":"/journals/tumour-biology/"}],"technology":[{"id":"germ-cell-tumour-markers","kind":"technology","name":"AFP, hCG and LDH in germ cell tumours (IGCCCG risk groups)","route":"/technologies/germ-cell-tumour-markers/"},{"id":"cea-surveillance-colorectal","kind":"technology","name":"CEA surveillance after colorectal cancer surgery","route":"/technologies/cea-surveillance-colorectal/"},{"id":"serum-tumour-markers","kind":"technology","name":"Serum tumour markers: proper use and misuse","route":"/technologies/serum-tumour-markers/"},{"id":"thyroid-cancer-markers","kind":"technology","name":"Thyroglobulin, calcitonin and CEA in thyroid cancer follow-up","route":"/technologies/thyroid-cancer-markers/"}]}}