Tumor markers for the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and follow-up of gynaecological tumors.

It would be of benefit for the clinical relevance of tumor marker determination to be demonstrated, as a lot of markers are now in clinical use. Increased levels of carcinoembryonic antigen correlate with the stage of breast carcinoma. CA 15-3 should also be measured during follow-up of patients with this disease. The latest findings suggest a higher sensitivity and specificity of CA 15-3 than of CEA. The prognostic value and the usefulness of CEA measurement in screening seem to be poor. The measurement of CA 125 seems to be a reliable method for monitoring the presence and clinical behavior of ovarian cancer. It is suggested that invasive diagnostic procedures are not required in patients with normal marker levels. The management of chorion carcinoma can be determined as an ideal model in the range of marker application. Only in this disease does the marker HCG reach almost 100% sensitivity and specificity. The definition of response to chemotherapy and the appearance of relapse can be based on HCG measurement.