Respiratory Infections & Diagnosis
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. More than half of all cancer deaths each year are due to lung, stomach, liver, colorectal and female breast cancers. If recent trends in major cancers continue globally in the future, the burden of cancer will increase by 68% over the next 15 years. The high cancer mortality rates are primarily due to a delayed detection of the disease and differences in the policies on cancer screening between countries.
Early detection is the key focus of cancer diagnostics and an early diagnosis makes it possible to cure the disease completely and/or increase survival rates. However, the financial burden associated with the cost of managing and treating cancer is a growing concern. Non-invasive techniques such as serum immunoassays detecting specific tumor markers are highly sought after in order to minimize the costs associated with screening and monitoring the disease. They provide fast, cost-effective, and accurate cancer detection while providing a valuable aid to the clinician and increased comfort to the patient. Cancer biomarkers (also called tumor markers) are proteins produced either by the tumor itself or by the body in response to the presence of cancer. They can be broadly classified into four groups: (1) screening and early detection, (2) diagnostic confirmation, (3) prognosis and prediction of therapeutic response, and (4) monitoring disease and recurrence. Over the past decade, an improved understanding of carcinogenesis and tumor progression has revealed a large number of potential tumor markers. Some markers are associated with only one type of cancer, whereas others are associated with two or more cancer types. No “universal” tumor marker that can detect any type of cancer has been discovered.
FDA Approved Biomarkers for Cancer
Thyroid Cancer (Tg)
Breast Cancer (CA15-3/MUC-1, CA27-29, CEA, erb.2/HER2/new)
Pancreatic Cancer (CA19-9, CEA)
Liver Cancer (AFP)
Colon Cancer (CEA)
Ovarian Cancer (CA125, HE4)
Prostate Cancer (PSA)
VI | Cancer & Tumor Markers for Assay Development
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