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 What
is Cancersafe® test?
It is a highly sophisticated blood test to detect early cancer. Tumor markers have long been used, either to screen for cancers or to monitor cancer treatments, to track and screen for recurrences. Cancersafe® test uses a panel of 10/11 tumor markers (10 for women, 11 for men). Tumor markers are molecules appearing in the blood in relation to development of some of the most important cancers. Measurement or identification of tumor markers is useful, because it can detect substances in the blood in early stages, a signal that further medical attention is needed.
Why do Cancersafe® test?
Early detection of cancer is important. if cancer is detected in early stage it is curable. This can save your life or atleast allows you to get a baseline for the future. In order to cover a large range of cancers (the main ones), the Cancersafe® test incorporates the main tumor markers that are available the world over. The test can look for signs of various cancers like:
- Stomach
- Breast
- Colorectal
- Liver
- Prostate
- Ovarian
- Testicle
- Lung
Stomach Cancer
Stomach cancer remains the second most frequent cause of cancer-related death world wide, with particularly high frequencies in Japan, China, Korea, parts of Eastern Europe and Latin America. Low socio-economic status, male sex, advanced age, diet deficient in fresh fruits and vegetables and rich in salted or smoked fish or meats and poorly preserved foods are the risk factors for stomach cancer. CA72-4 is the marker of first choice for stomach tumors but a combination of CEA and CA19-9 with CA72-4 is recommended for more specific determination of primary gastric carcinoma.
Breast Cancer
Each year, 182,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 43,300 die. Recent research predicts that one woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. In addition, 1,600 men are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer and 400 out of them may die this year. If detected early, the five-year survival rate exceeds 95%. The ‘classic’ association for detecting the breast carcinoma is CEA + CA15-3 with Cyfra21-1. Serum Cyfra21-1 may be appropriate for clinical use as a reliable marker for breast carcinoma.
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer trailing only lung cancer in annual US cancer death. Fortunately, colorectal cancer is easily detectable with screening techniques that can catch the cancer when it is still treatable. The most common symptom of colorectal cancer is no symptom at all. A change in bowel habits, diarrhea or constipation, narrower than normal stools, unexplained weight loss, constant tiredness, vomiting and others are considered as the symptoms leading to colorectal cancer. CEA is the most reliable marker for detecting the colorectal cancer.
Liver Cancer
Hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver. These growths can be benign or malignant (cancerous). They may be discovered on medical imaging (even for a different reason than the cancer itself), or may present in patients as an abdominal mass, hepatomegaly, abdominal pain, jaundice, or some other liver dysfunction. Presence of tumor marker AFP indicates the growth of malignancy in liver. High rates of AFP strongly suggest presence of primitive liver cancer, or germinating cancer of the ovary or testicle.
Prostate Cancer
Recent data shows that prostate cancer will probably affect an estimated 1 in 6 American men over their lifetime. Evidence exists to support the hypothesis that approximately 5% to 10% of all prostate cancer is due to rare autosomal dominant prostate cancer susceptibility genes. The proportion of prostate cancer associated with an inherited susceptibility may be even larger. Men are generally considered to be candidates of genetic counseling regarding prostate cancer risk if they have a family history of prostate cancer. PSA is the marker of prostate cancer. The free PSA/PSA ratio improves the diagnostic differential between prostate-cancer and benign prostate hypertrophy.
Ovarian Cancer
Ovarian cancer is often called the "silent" killer because many times there are no symptoms until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. One-third of American women will get some form of cancer in their lifetime and approximately one and one half percent of those cases will be cancer involving one or both ovaries. Early symptoms of ovarian cancer are often mild, making this disease difficult to detect. Some early symptoms may include: an unusual feeling of fullness or discomfort in the pelvic region, unexplainable indigestion, gas, or bloating that is not relieved with over-the-counter antacids, pain during sexual intercourse, abnormal bleeding, swelling and pain of the abdomen. CA 125 is the essential ovarian cancer marker. High rates of CA 125 are also found in cancer of the endometrium and Fallopian tubes.
Testicular Cancer
Testicular cancer is more common in white men than African or Asian men. It occurs more commonly in wealthier social groups. The reasons for this are not known. The most common symptom is swelling in part of one testicle. This is usually painless, but some men may notice an ache in their lower abdomen or in the affected testicle. There may be a feeling of ‘heaviness’ in the scrotum. In a few men the testicle suddenly becomes swollen and very tender. High rates of beta HCG can point to the presence of testicular cancer; and in varied degrees to cancer of ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas and lung.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in both men and women in the United States. In 1987, it surpassed breast cancer to become the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. An estimated 163,510 deaths from lung cancer occurred in the United States during 2005. Lung cancer is a very complex one: often several cell clones are present in the same tumor, not only one. The prognosis of lung cancer can be improved with appropriate screening and monitoring, especially with full panel of tumor markers. Now NSE is specifically used for the SCLC (small cells lung cancer) and Cyfra21-1 is for NSCLC (non-small cells lung cancer).
Test Options
• Cancer
Safe® Test
• Smoker® Test
• Ovarian
Safe® Test
• Breast Safe® Test
• Colon Safe® Test
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