All about Cancer Markers

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All about Cancer Markers
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• You may have been curious how doctors can tell
  what stage of cancer a person has using Cancer
  Laboratory Test.
• There are many tests like the CA 125 Lab Test or
  the Troponin Lab Test to test for cancer.
  Alpha-fetoprotein or AFP is a type of tumor
  marker which is used to diagnose cancer. These
  markers are used to determine which stage of
  cancer a patient has. A high reading of certain
  proteins in a urine or blood sample may indicate
  a more aggressive cancer. Usually, the higher the
  resulting number of the marker, the higher the
  stage of cancer.
• Where symptoms suggest cancer in a patient, urine
  and blood samples are taken and submitted to a
  laboratory to be tested for cancer tumor marker
  levels.
• The results assist the physician in determining
  if a patient has cancer. They can also help
  diagnose the type of cancer the patient has.
• Cancer markers also are useful in determining the
  prognosis for the patient. They are also used to
  check to see if cancer has returned after
  remission.
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• A biopsy is taken once a diagnosis of cancer has
  been made, and again tumor markers can help to
  determine the amount of cancer that is present in
  the patient's body.

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Advanced cancer is indicated by higher tumor
marker levels and the prognosis is less
positive. With the help of cancer markers, a
doctor can then determine the best treatment for
the patient. Types of Cancer Markers Some of
the most common cancer markers (AFP) are used for
diagnosing the following cancers Liver Ovarian B
reast Gastrointestinal Pancreatic Lung Colon Prost
ate Cancer research is ongoing in hopes to
discover tumor markers for other types of
cancers. Not just one tumor marker is used for
all cancers, and not all cancers have tumor
markers that work specifically for their
diagnosis and treatment. Once cancer treatment
has been started by a patient, they will need to
have further testing with tumor markers to see if
their particular treatment is working.
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If the tumor marker level declines, it usually is
an indication that the current treatment is
working. If the level increases or stays the
same, the physician may try a different form of
treatment. It is important that a certain amount
of time has passed between cancer marker testing
to give the treatment a chance to work on the
tumor. Drawbacks of Cancer Markers There are
only a few cancer markers that are able to find
cancer in the early stages. In fact, there are
certain noncancerous diseases which may
contribute to a high tumor marker level.