Continuous Professional Development Update

Understanding Tumor Markers

11th July 2014
Rm203, Duke of Windsor Social Service Building 15 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Tumor markers refer to substances that can be found at higher than normal levels in the blood, urine, stool, tumor tissue, or other tissues or bodily fluids of some patients with cancer. Most tumor markers are proteins but they can also be changes to DNA or, more recently, patterns of gene expression at the RNA or protein level. Along with other diagnostic tests and procedures, monitoring of tumor markers can be used to detect, diagnose, and manage different types of cancer. Tumor markers can also help to predict prognosis, to monitor treatment and to detect recurrence. In this talk, common tumor markers for three of the most common cancers (breast, lung and colorectal cancers) in Hong Kong will be used to illustrate the usefulness and limitation of tumor markers. Research efforts aimed to develop more sensitive, specific and effective genomic- and proteomic-based biomarkers will also be discussed.