Table 1.
Commonly used TMs and associated malignancies.
| TM | Type of malignancy | Differential diagnosis | Prognosis/staging | Treatment monitoring/surveillance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tg | Thyroid | x | x | |
| Calcitonin | Thyroid (medullary) | x | x | |
| β2M (beta-2-microglobulin) | Multiple myeloma, CLL | x | ||
| CEA | CRC, pancreatic, gastric/gastroesophageal AC, esophageal AC, NSCLC AC, breast, endometrial, thyroid, c-cell | x | ||
| CA 125 | Ovarian, breast, omental carcinomatosis | x | x | |
| HE4 | Ovarian, NSCLC, endometrial | x | x | |
| Beta-HCG | GCT, choriocarcinoma, urothelial | x | x | x |
| AFP (alpha-feto protein) | HCC, GCT | x | x | x |
| CA 15-3 | Breast, NSCLC AC | x | x | |
| CA 19-9 | Pancreatic, biliary tract, upper GI | x | x | |
| CA 72-4 | Upper GI, mucinous ovarian | x | ||
| CYFRA 21-1 | NSCLC, esophageal, HNSCC, pancreatic, bladder | x | x | |
| S100 | Malignant melanoma | x | ||
| NSE | SCLC, NET, neuroblastoma | x | x | |
| ProGRP | SCLC, thyroid medullary | x | x | x |
| Chromogranin A | SCLC, NET | x | x | |
| PSA/free PSA | Prostate | x | x | x |
| SCCA | Cervix SCC, NSCLC SCC, esophageal SCC, HNSCC | x | ||
| Ig (immunoglobulin) | Multiple myeloma | x | ||
| LC (light chains) | Multiple myeloma | x | x | |
| Her-2-neu | Breast cancer | x | ||
| TK | Multiple myeloma, CLL | x | x | x |
AC, adenocarcinoma; SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; CLL, chronic lymphocytic leukemia; HNSCC, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; GCT, germ-cell tumor; GI, gastrointestinal; NET, neuroendocrine tumors; TK, thymidine kinase; Tg, thyroglobulin.