Dr West
Posts:4735
We've covered this topic in a few places here on GRACE, but the issue of whether and how to use serum tumor markers in lung cancer comes up often and is the source of a fair bit of confusion. Although I also mention it in a post I just did, here's a video on the subject that I just did for Swedish Medical Center, where I work.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePzQF6tFNZs&list=SPX-pzXWx-1MpmXP6n7qLaT…]
I hope the discussion is useful for people in this format.
-Dr. West
Forums
Reply # - January 6, 2013, 01:59 PM
Reply To: Video on Serum Tumor Markers in Lung Cancer
Interesting post, Dr. West. Thank you.
Can the absolutely absence of the CEA marker in the blood tests suggest that we may deal with a lung cancer that is not particularly aggressive?
Reply # - January 6, 2013, 07:56 PM
Reply To: Video on Serum Tumor Markers in Lung Cancer
I would say no. First, there is a "normal" CEA level, so you don't expect it to be undetectable, but the issue is that some lung cancers make CEA and others don't. There's some spotty evidence, which I would say isn't especially conclusive, that suggests that the cancers making CEA are more aggressive, but CEA measurement just isn't something that is routinely recommended as a standard (even if it's fine to do), largely because there is no consensus that it leads to any useful practical application right now.
-Dr. West