Detection of a group of classic serum tumor markers (CSTMs) aids in the differential diagnosis and disease assessment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC)

Description

Jun-Wei Pan and colleagues tested in 2026 whether a panel of familiar blood tumor markers can help tell upper urinary tract cancer from look-alike conditions. Their retrospective study held 140 patients: sixty with the tract cancer, forty-four with a common kidney cancer, and thirty-six with benign urinary blockage. Seven classic markers were measured and compared across groups.

Three markers ran clearly higher in the tract cancer group than in either comparison group. Marker levels also moved with the disease itself, falling after surgery and rising again when cancer progressed. The team combined six markers into a testing strategy that held up across every comparison they ran. In surgical specimens, the number of marker shifts tracked tumor load closely. Tissue staining supported the blood findings. The authors conclude group testing beats any single marker for this elusive cancer.

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Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13263849