Practical check-up guide
Tumour-marker Panels in China Check-ups: An Exact-name Audit
By MyChinaCheckup coordination team · Published
A package row saying “12 components” does not tell you which twelve markers it contains. A row that prints AFP and CEA gives more specific naming evidence, but neither a name nor a count establishes that a package can rule out cancer. Compare what is actually written before discussing the clinical purpose with the hospital.
We checked ten MyChinaCheckup package pages covering Huadong and Huashan Pudong in Shanghai on 13 October 2026. This is an audit of the operator’s catalogue wording, not independent confirmation of a hospital’s orders, current availability or suitability for you. The sample illustrates different naming formats; it is not a ranking or a recommended cancer-screening panel.
Three levels of naming evidence in ten pages
The six Huadong pages show two formats: two pages name three markers in one row; four pages give a component count while explicitly leaving the names unspecified. The four selected Huashan Pudong pages add individually named rows, an unnamed male group, and a female group containing seven printed abbreviations. These observations concern label specificity, not test quality.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns.
| Operator package page | Exact tumour-marker wording | What can be recorded without guessing |
|---|---|---|
| Huadong men 1 and women 1 | “CEA, AFP, CA199” | Three printed abbreviations in one displayed row |
| Huadong men 2 and men 3 | “Tumour marker panel (12 components; individual markers not specified)” | The stated count is 12; the component identities remain unspecified |
| Huadong women 2 and women 3 | “Tumour marker panel (10 components; individual markers not specified)” | The stated count is 10; the component identities remain unspecified |
| Huashan Pudong men 1 and women 1 | Separate rows include “Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)”, “Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP)”, “Carbohydrate antigen CA19-9”, “Carbohydrate antigen CA15-3”, “Carbohydrate antigen CA72-4”, “Carbohydrate antigen CA125” | These six labels are individually visible on both pages; this selection is not their complete examination list |
| Huashan Pudong men 2 | “Tumor Screening (Male)” | A group title without marker names in that row |
| Huashan Pudong women 2 | “Tumor Screening (Female) : AFP, CEA, CA199, CA724, CA125, CA153, CY211” | Seven printed abbreviations; the adjacent description still says the individual sub-indicators are not fully specified |
The final row has a useful discrepancy: its title supplies names, while its generic description warns of incomplete detail. Preserve both facts. Request the full specification rather than deleting the warning or declaring the seven names a complete hospital panel.
Other rows may exist elsewhere on a page. This table focuses on the selected marker wording and does not count all package examinations. A missing name is not evidence that the hospital cannot offer that test. Unspecified panels stay unspecified until the provider supplies the components.
Preserve the source spelling before matching names
For a comparison sheet, keep one column for the catalogue text and another for the hospital-confirmed name. This prevents a plausible spelling match from becoming an unverified booking commitment.
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| Printed label in this sample | Naming reference or question | How to record it |
|---|---|---|
| AFP; Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) | NCI lists alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) | Retain the source spelling and ask for the confirmed assay name |
| CEA; Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) | NCI lists carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) | Retain both the abbreviation and any full name supplied |
| CA199; CA19-9 | NCI uses CA19-9 | Ask the provider to confirm whether the compact label denotes that marker |
| CA153; CA15-3 | NCI lists CA15-3/CA27.29 | Ask whether CA153 denotes CA15-3; do not add CA27.29 because it appears beside CA15-3 in a reference source |
| CA125 | NCI uses CA-125 | Preserve the printed label; request the laboratory’s full wording |
| CA724; CA72-4; CY211 | This audit does not establish a full-name mapping for these abbreviations | Leave the expansion unresolved and ask for it; do not substitute a guessed assay |
The NCI list of tumour-marker tests in common use is a terminology reference, not proof of what a Chinese package includes. It is not a checklist to request in full. A name match also does not establish matching laboratory methods, reference ranges or report units.
A marker count is not a cancer count
NCI explains that circulating tumour markers generally have important screening limitations: some cancers do not produce a detectable elevation, and noncancerous conditions can raise some markers. An elevated result alone does not establish cancer; a result within range does not exclude every cancer. Interpretation requires clinical context and may involve other evidence. NCI: Tumor Markers.
Accordingly, “10 components” does not mean ten cancers checked, and “12 components” does not establish greater clinical benefit than a shorter list. The audit cannot decide whether any listed marker belongs in your care. Do not select a larger bundle to resolve uncertainty about a symptom or prior result; ask the clinician what assessment addresses that concern.
For broader appointment questions, use cancer-screening planning in China or the Shanghai cancer-screening guide. Those guides address the clinical discussion and follow-up arrangements; this worksheet addresses the narrower task of identifying what a package label actually promises.
An exact-name request worksheet
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| Record | Fill in before accepting the scope |
|---|---|
| Operator URL, package name, campus and date checked | ____ |
| Exact label, including its component count if given | ____ |
| Names actually printed, without expanding abbreviations | ____ |
| Any conflicting or incomplete-description note | ____ |
| Full component list supplied by the hospital | ____ |
| Each ambiguous abbreviation and its confirmed full name | ____ |
| Clinical question for the proposed test, to discuss with the clinician | ____ |
| Confirmation date, contact and unresolved items | ____ |
A concise enquiry could say: “This package lists [exact row]. Please obtain the selected hospital’s current component list and full names for the abbreviations. Please explain any difference between that list and the catalogue. Mark unconfirmed components as unresolved. I would also like the clinical team to explain the purpose and limitations of any proposed testing.”
Keep a panel-count label unresolved until the names arrive. If a revised proposal contains different tests, compare those changes explicitly rather than assuming the original package title covers them. The general package-comparison guide can help record separately agreed scope and charges.
Sources and scope
Source check: 13 October 2026. Ten operator package pages are linked in the audit. NCI supplies general terminology and limitations; it does not endorse the named packages. No hospital test order, diagnostic conclusion, screening schedule or medical outcome is asserted. No clinician review is claimed for this administrative comparison.