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Encyclopedia of Cancer pp 1–7Cite as

Serum Biomarkers

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Definition

Cancer biomarkers are usually proteins detected in the blood, urine, or other body fluids that are either produced by the tumor itself or in response to the presence of cancer. Ideally, biomarkers should allow at least one of the following:

  • Early detection of cancer by screening a healthy or high-risk population

  • Help to confirm the diagnosis of cancer or of a specific type of cancer

  • Predict prognosis

  • Monitor treatment response

  • Detect early recurrence

Characteristics

Most biomarkers are not specific for tumors or organs, and their levels may rise in other diseases. The diagnostic value of a tumor marker will depend on the prevalence of a disease in a population group and on its specificity (percentage of normal individuals without disease for whom a negative result is obtained) and sensitivity (percentage of tests that are correctly positive in the presence of a tumor). A cancer biomarker should be measured at a low cost, by a widely available assay with reproducible results...

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See Also

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Clinical Neuroscience & Oncology, CHUV, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, VD, Switzerland

    Andreas F. Hottinger

  2. Department of Neurology, Medicine (Division Hematology Oncology) and Neurosurgery, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and The Tisch Cancer Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Adília Hormigo

Authors
  1. Andreas F. Hottinger
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  2. Adília Hormigo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andreas F. Hottinger .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

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Hottinger, A.F., Hormigo, A. (2014). Serum Biomarkers. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_5269-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_5269-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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