CA 15-3
Cancer antigen 15-3 is also known as mucin-1 (MUC 1) tumor marker. It is a mucin that occurs in all membranes of vertebrates. In epithelial tumors, adenocarcinomas, lymphomas or multiple myeloma, the antigen 15-3 is clearly overexpressed and can therefore be used as a tumor marker.
In practice, it is used as a marker to monitor the course of breast cancer patients. However, the sensitivity is only about 60-80%. In addition to this monitoring, Mucin-1 is also used as an approach for newer therapies in cancer therapy.
CA 125
Like CA 15-3, the tumor marker CA 125 is a sugar-protein molecule that is particularly important in ovarian cancer. The measurement of CA 125 is of great importance, especially in the monitoring of disease progression and can be used as a relatively specific marker for the detection of recurrence. German cancer experts have determined that a repeated normal CA 125 value after ovarian cancer can replace other more complex examinations. There are also some benign diseases, such as liver cirrhosis, acute pancreatitis and inflammation of the gall bladder, which can cause an elevated CA 125 level.
LSE
The neuron-specific enolase as tumor marker is an enzyme of the glucose metabolism and is produced in different subforms in the nerve cells of the brain, in peripheral nerve tissue and in so-called neuroendocrine tissue. The formation of enolase in these hormone self-producing (neuroendocrine) tissues is used for tumor control. For this reason, LSA is significantly elevated, especially in small cell lung cancer and tumors of other neuroendocrine tissues. However, the NSE level also increases in brain trauma, brain tumors or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
SCC
The squamous cell carcinoma antigen is a sugar-protein molecule and as a tumor marker is a component of squamous cell carcinoma cells. Squamous cell carcinoma antigen is found in various organs, for example as cornified squamous epithelium on the skin or on mucous membranes. Renal insufficiency, kidney failure, skin diseases, liver cirrhosis or pancreatitis can show elevated SCC values although these are not tumor diseases.
Squamous cell tumors of the cervix, esophagus, lung or rectum are examples of squamous cell tumors and may have elevated SCC levels. Here, too, the SCC value mainly indicates renewed disease activity after successful therapy. However, the SCC value is not recommended as a tumor marker in the guidelines of the German Cancer Society.
