Molecular Markers in Cancer Diagnosis and Management: A Review

Abstract

Cancer is a family of diseases that involve uncontrolled cell division and tissue invasiveness. It may affect almost any tissue
of the body. Lung, prostate, breast, colorectal and stomach are the five most common cancers in the world. More than 10 million
people are diagnosed with cancer every year. Tumour markers are biological substances which can be measured in blood and
other body fluids. Increased concentration indicates the presence of a tumour. Many different substances can be used as tumour
markers, but the term generally refers to substances produced by the tumour cells and generally found in very low concentration in
the body fluids of normal individuals. An ideal tumour marker should be used for screening, diagnosis and monitoring of disease
progression. Unfortunately there is no ideal tumour marker. Confusion exists about the value of tumor markers in a patient with
cancer of unknown primary. Intuitively, a panel of tumor markers should help to establish the origin of the tumor. Unfortunately,
most tumor markers are too nonspecific for this purpose. This review article critically analyses about various molecular markers of
cancer and their role in disease diagnosis and treatment evaluation.