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). |
|
