Tumor Markers: At a Glance Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Journal, January-June 2014;5(1):437-440 437 OMPJ Tumor Markers: At a Glance

Tumor markers are biochemical substances elaborated by tumor cells due to either the cause or effect of malignant process. produced by host in response to a tumor that can be used to differentiate a tumor from normal tissue or to determine the presence of a tumor based on measurements in blood or secretions.1 These markers can be normal endogenous products that are produced at a greater rate in cancer cells or the products of newly switched on genes that remain quiescent in the normal cells. Tumor markers can often be detected in higher some patients with certain types of cancer. Most tumor markers are proteins. This article emphasizes currently available tumor cancer diagnosis and prognosis