Oncomarkers - Norm and Pathology in Cancer Treatment

If a malignant tumor has appeared in the human body , then the content of specific proteins increases in the blood. They are isolated either from the cells of the tumor itself, or from neighboring cells, which are still healthy cells that send a "notice" of danger. It is also possible to isolate protein antigens from the immune system of the whole organism, which has come to be protected from the disease.

For such proteins, the term "oncomarkers" is used. The norm of these substances is known to every oncologist. In Russian medicine, the blood test for oncomarkers is gradually included in the compulsory laboratory tests.

Benign tumors also send their markers to the bloodstream. Such signals confirm the presence of neoplasm with a high probability. On the other hand, blood test standards for oncomarkers admit that with an increase in indicators it can be not about cancer, but only about inflammatory processes.

At present, scientists have found and described tumor markers for tumor formations in many organs. These include:

• prostate
• breast
• pancreas
• thyroid
• lung
• Gastrointestinal tract

And other organs.

If the cancer is detected at an early stage, there is a chance to cure it. The success of treatment directly depends on how early it was possible to make a blood test for oncomarkers.

Until recently, the study of these proteins was carried out only after surgery to remove the tumor. Their increased content meant that the cancer process was resumed. Currently, the tests are done before the treatment and even before the start of the traditional diagnosis. This is due to the fact that oncomarkers appear in the blood earlier than all other cancer symptoms, which can be detected with the help of X-ray and ultrasound studies, as well as with magnetic resonance imaging.

One of the problems of the cancer marker research is that it does not always indicate exactly which organ is affected by the tumor, i.e. One must bear in mind the potential danger to a group of organs. In addition, there are cases when the same organ is attacked by several types of tumors, and this is also not reflected by oncomarkers. The serum level may be exceeded, but the picture is unclear: by analysis, one can only guess which group of organs or tumors should be worried. Therefore, in the advanced areas of modern oncology, the array (panels) of different oncomarkers are examined in one complex analysis. Such studies are called laboratory screening and are performed in oncology of European countries and the USA. Recently, screenings are also being introduced into the practice of Russian oncology.

It is extremely important to carry out the analysis on oncomarkers again. This allows you to observe the symptoms of the disease in development. There is an opportunity to make assumptions about the direction of the tumor process: to deterioration or to remission (restoration of relative health).

If the markers are exceeded, the norm is broken, then laboratory research should be expanded. These include a biochemical blood test, radiographic examination, magnetic resonance imaging, hormonal analysis, colonoscopy and gastroscopy, ultrasound.

At the present level of development of oncology, the analysis of oncomarkers is a means of solving the following problems:

• Identification of risks in potential patients
• Focusing on the location of a possible tumor site
• Evaluation of the results of the operation performed
• Control of treatment throughout its entire length

Oncomarkers, the norm of which is known to the doctor, allow to answer the following questions of the patient according to the results of the analysis:

• Is there an increase in indicators?
• Which markers are raised?
• What do the increased indicators say?
• Whether it is necessary to change spent treatment (if it is)?
• When will the next test?

Blood on oncomarkers is handed over in the same way, as the analysis on biochemistry: from a vein. Research should be done in the morning, without taking any food beforehand. The test can be done both on the initiative of the doctor and at his own request.