There are many tumor markers in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly including carcinoembryonic antigen CEA and glycan antigen CA.
Carcinoembryonic antigen CEA is present in all malignant tumors of tissues and organs of endodermal origin. For tumors of gastrointestinal tract, elevated values of CEA are mainly seen in gastric and colorectal cancers, and its specific value can appropriately reflect the condition. For advanced tumors, tumors with distant metastasis and adenocarcinoma, the CEA value is relatively high and the condition is relatively serious.
Glycoantigens mainly include CA125, CA199 and CA99 (CA125 is similar to CA199), which is a kind of glycolipid molecule located in the membrane of tumor cells, and its elevated value is relatively more valuable for diagnosing gastric cancer, colon cancer and rectal cancer.
These tumor markers can be used as one of the indicators for evaluating the efficacy of treatment, and if the clinical treatment of gastrointestinal tumors is effective, the serum levels of these tumor markers will show a significant decrease. If these tumor markers in serum are significantly elevated at follow-up, there is a possibility of tumor recurrence or metastasis.
It should be noted that tumor markers are only an auxiliary indicator for diagnosis and evaluation of tumor treatment, and the diagnosis of tumor needs to be based on histopathological examination.