What are the tumor markers for bladder cancer?

Bladder cancer tumor markers mainly include urinary microprotein fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (FB/FDP), bladder tumor antigen (BTA), nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP22), hyaluronic acid (HA), and hyaluronidase (HAase). Among these, bladder cancer-specific nuclear matrix protein 4 (BLCA-4) is a newly discovered marker highly associated with bladder tumors, with reported sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing bladder cancer in urine reaching 93.3% and 100%, respectively. In addition, although not highly specific, markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) may also be elevated in patients with bladder cancer. These markers can serve as auxiliary tools for screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of bladder cancer, but they are not considered the gold standard; definitive diagnosis still requires further examinations such as cystoscopy.