Cancer Risk Blood Test for Women – Advanced (12 Biomarkers)

This advanced panel is designed for women who want a broader, structured view of tumour marker activity across several organ systems in a single appointment. It brings together eleven recognised markers spanning gastrointestinal, breast, gynaecological and lung-associated pathways, so you and your clinician can review a coordinated picture rather than a series of isolated results. It is suited to women with a family history of cancer, those with persistent or unexplained symptoms, and anyone who wants to establish a baseline record of these markers to track over time. Tumour markers are supporting information only: they are interpreted alongside your history, examination and any imaging, and they do not confirm or exclude a diagnosis on their own.

The panel covers the following markers:

General and gastrointestinal tumour markers
- Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA): a widely used marker that can be raised in colorectal and other gastrointestinal conditions, and is often tracked over time rather than read in isolation.
- Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP): traditionally associated with liver and germ cell tumours, and included here as part of a broad screening profile.
- Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9): associated with pancreatic, biliary and other gastrointestinal tract conditions.

Gynaecological and breast tumour markers
- Carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA 125): the most established marker used in the assessment of ovarian and related pelvic conditions.
- Carbohydrate antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3): commonly used alongside clinical assessment in breast-related investigation.
- Human epididymis protein 4 (HE4): assessed together with CA 125 to produce a ROMA score (Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm), a calculated index that helps your clinician stratify the likelihood of ovarian malignancy in women presenting with a pelvic mass.

Additional gastrointestinal markers
- Carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA 72-4): a marker associated with gastric and other gastrointestinal tract conditions.
- Carbohydrate antigen 242 (CA 242): a further gastrointestinal-associated marker that complements CA 19-9 and CEA within the panel.

Lung-associated markers
- Cytokeratin 19 fragment (CYFRA 21-1): a marker used in the assessment of lung-related disease.
- Neuron-specific enolase (NSE): associated with neuroendocrine-type tissue activity.
- Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP): a marker with particular relevance to neuroendocrine lung conditions.

The panel requires only a simple blood sample, taken by a trained phlebotomist at your appointment, and no special preparation is needed beforehand.

Why it matters
Tumour markers give your clinician an additional, objective layer of information that can support earlier investigation, help prioritise further tests, and provide a documented baseline for future comparison. Because this panel spans multiple organ systems at once, it can highlight patterns that a single marker would miss, and the inclusion of HE4 alongside CA 125 adds a validated risk-stratification index for ovarian assessment. Used sensibly, alongside your symptoms, family history and imaging, this profile helps you and your doctor make more informed decisions about what to investigate next and what to monitor over time.