Tumour Markers

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Total cards: 24•Content version: v4•Public deck•Updated: 8/1/2026

Card preview (24)

Front (Question)

Define ‘tumour marker’.

Back (Answer)

Any substance that can, or may, be related to the presence or progress of a tumour

Front (Question)

There are __________ expressed on cell surfaces that can be used as tumour markers.

Back (Answer)

Antigen

Front (Question)

Clinical chemistry laboratory usually involved in testing for the ___________ tumour markers, i.e., tumour markers in solution.

Back (Answer)

Secreted

Front (Question)

True or false: markers are not necessarily unique products of malignant cells.

Back (Answer)

True

Front (Question)

List two hormones that may act as tumour markers.

Back (Answer)

Calcitonin and human chorionic gonadotrophin

Front (Question)

True or false: prostatic acid phosphatase is an enzyme that is a viable tumour marker.

Back (Answer)

True

Front (Question)

Name a tumour antigen.

Back (Answer)

Prostate-specific antigen

Front (Question)

Some proteins, like _________________, are tumour markers.

Back (Answer)

Immunoglobins

Front (Question)

List three tumour-marking genetic mutations.

Back (Answer)

KRAS, p53, and BRCA

#10

Front (Question)

True or false: tumour marker genes are useless in treatment monitoring, or in assessing progression of the disease.

Back (Answer)

False

#11

Front (Question)

‘If incidence of cancer is high in certain populations tumour markers may be used as screening tool’. Give an example of a tumour marker, and the appropriate population, to which this applies.

Back (Answer)

Prostate-specific antigen, in men

#12

Front (Question)

A ___________ in concentration of the tumour marker is an indication of the success of treatment e.g., surgery or chemotherapy.

Back (Answer)

Decline

#13

Front (Question)

Detection in _______ when there is clinical evidence of the tumour will often confirm the diagnosis.

Back (Answer)

Blood

#14

Front (Question)

For tumour markers that do not look at reference values/normal range, what is more appropriate is ‘__________ _______’.

Back (Answer)

Decision level

#15

Front (Question)

The __________ _______ model uses sensitivity, specificity, and prevalence of disease.

Back (Answer)

Predictive value

#16

Front (Question)

State three qualities of an ideal tumour marker.

Back (Answer)

Responds rapidly to tumour size Specific for type and size of malignancy Detectable only when the given malignancy is present

#17

Front (Question)

Name a valuable marker for both hepatocellular carcinomas and testicular carcinomas.

Back (Answer)

α-fetoprotein

#18

Front (Question)

True or false: α-fetoprotein concentration correlates with the tumour size of hepatocellular carcinomas.

Back (Answer)

False

#19

Front (Question)

Why should CA 125 not be used when screening asymptomatic females?

Back (Answer)

May be elevated in benign conditions, such as endometriosis, and chronic renal failure

#20

Front (Question)

____ ___ is elevated in 80-85% of all cases of epithelial ovarian cancer, but only increased in 50% of early stage cancer.

Back (Answer)

CA 125

#21

Front (Question)

Prostate-specific antigen involves ________ ________.

Back (Answer)

Serine protease

#22

Front (Question)

True or false: prostate-specific antigen is detectable in the plasma of ‘normal’ male population.

Back (Answer)

True

#23

Front (Question)

If using the cut-off of __ ___/__, the specificity of PSA is 97% in men >40 years of age.

Back (Answer)

4 μg/L

#24

Front (Question)

_________ prostate-specific antigen is increased in cancer.

Back (Answer)

Bound