Marketing of the tumor marker concept
Although the clinical usefulness of tumor markers is now undisputed, the worldwide market, estimated for 1989 at US$ 170 millions, does not parallel cancer incidence because of technical factors, regulatory reasons, or historical reasons.
Abstract
Although the clinical usefulness of tumor markers is now undisputed, the worldwide market, estimated for 1989 at US$ 170 millions, does not parallel cancer incidence. Routine implementation of cancer monitoring by in vitro tests is still meeting resistance due to technical factors (lack of standardization, poor analytical performances), regulatory reasons (restrictions on isotopic testing, product registration) or historical reasons. However, the main barrier has been and often remains the lack of concertation between the pathologist and the clinician