28Sep 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments
First and only FDA-cleared, fully automated chromogranin A assay

First and only FDA-cleared, fully automated chromogranin A assay

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Clinical Trials and Research, Patient Advocacy
There has been controversy about the utility of Chromogranin A for many years now.  Specialists have been critical about its use but to be fair even those less critical still confirm that alone it would not be trusted to formally diagnose Neuroendocrine Cancer.  That said, it was still controversial when certain US guidelines were updated to recommend it is not regularly tested.  It's well known for being a sensitive but non-specific marker for most tumours of Neuroendocrine type, the non-specificity is mostly due to the other conditions, some of which are highly prevalent in many countries, including but not limited to the use of proton pump inhibitors, heart disease and kidney disease.  Another criticism has been the lack of faith in using it to assess reaction to treatment.I have to say,…
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24May 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments
A spotlight on Chromogranin A

A spotlight on Chromogranin A

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Patient Advocacy
What is Chromogranin A? Chromogranin A (CgA) is an acidic protein released along with catecholamines from chromaffin cells and nerve terminals. This statement alone might explain why it's a good marker to use with Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.  It is said to be a measure of tumour bulk. Depending on the test kit being used, you may also see test results for Chromogranin B (CgB) alongside CgA. CgB is said to be less affected by false positives and forms a useful adjunct to the more established chromogranin A measurement.  The brand of test kit which includes CgB tends to be confined to Europe. Immunohistochemical Testing.  CgA is one the most commonly used immunohistochemical (IHC) markers for neuroendocrine cells and their tumours.  You may find the mention of CgA in your biopsy reports…
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28Apr 2023 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments
A spotlight on 5-HIAA

A spotlight on 5-HIAA

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Patient Advocacy
Background. It's important to note that not every type of Neuroendocrine Neoplasm will get the same tests due to the heterogenous nature of this cancer type. Some are more specific than others.  A wide range of tests may be necessary at diagnosis if the type of NET is not clear. This post will cover one of the main tests to check for a common type of Neuroendocrine Tumour (NET) that is known to secrete excess amounts of the hormone Serotonin leading to symptoms indicative of Carcinoid Syndrome.  These tumours are often labelled using the antiquated and misnomer term ‘Carcinoid Tumour’ but more and more healthcare organisations and specialists are avoiding use of this term for several reasons. Mainly because the word has been 99% removed from the widely accepted World Health Organisation…
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11Jul 2020 by Ronny Allan 5 Comments
The NETest® – a Chromogranin A replacement and more?

The NETest® – a Chromogranin A replacement and more?

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Clinical Trials and Research, Patient Advocacy
Update 20th Aug 2023.NEW YORK – Wren Laboratories announced Thursday that it finalized a distribution agreement with Kindstar Globalgene Technology to distribute Wren's blood-based neuroendocrine tumor NETest throughout China. Click the link below. https://wrenlaboratories.com/netest-expanded-to-china/Tumour Markers GeneralFor some years the gold standard tumour marker for Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs) has been and remains today, Chromogranin A (and for certain scenarios Chromogranin B and C can provide some additional clues).  Pancreastatin, which is actually a molecule of Chromogranin A, is another marker touted but appears to be limited to USA. Its main advantage is the ability to better handle the effects of Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) use which is prevalent in the general population.  As we move to a new era of molecular/genetic tumour markers, there's a danger that NENs will be left behind,…
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28Sep 2016 by Ronny Allan 23 Comments
Neuroendocrine Cancer – tumour markers and hormone levels

Neuroendocrine Cancer – tumour markers and hormone levels

A Spotlight on NENs - Testing Series, Patient Advocacy
BackgroundSome people on hear the terms "tumour markers" and "hormone levels" when they are diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer.  Most of them will have had a form of medical testing at some point in their life, i.e. the sampling and testing of blood, urine, saliva, stool or body tissue. In a nutshell, the medical staff are just measuring the content of a 'substance' and then taking a view whether this is normal or not based on pre-determined ranges. These tests are normally done as a physician's reaction to symptom presentation or maintenance/surveillance of an existing diagnosed condition. Sometimes, abnormal results will lead to more specialist tests.In cancer, these tests are frequently called 'markers'. Most tumour markers are made by normal cells as well as by cancer cells; however, they are produced at…
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