Serum tumour markers in the era of development of molecular biology techniques in oncology

Overview

This article summarizes the current understanding about classical serum tumour markers and the possibility of their use in oncological practice at a time of intensive development in molecular biology techniques. These new procedures, based at the molecular level, have yet to replace serum tumour markers in clinical practice. The importance of serum markers mainly lies in monitoring disease recurrence and following the effectiveness of therapy, as outlined (and regularly updated) in international scientific publications. Fully automatic determinations of serum tumour markers are non-invasive, economically efficient procedures, which enable the dynamics of their changes during malignant disease to be monitored and thus contribute to the rationalization of oncological therapy.

Key words:
serum tumour markers, guidelines, follow-up of disease progression, prediction of therapy effectiveness.