Cancer is the scourge of the 21st century, the further it movesprogress, the more cases of cancer. One of the new methods for detecting cancerous tumors is cancer markers. What is it and is it possible to trust such an analysis?
The word marker comes from the English verbmark, which translates as "tagging, labeling something." Oncomarker is a common name for the analysis of blood or urine for the presence of traces, that is, "tags", which leave cancerous tumors in the body at the time of inception, formation and growth.
Such traces are specific proteins orenzymes and their decay products. Such proteins are produced either by the cancer itself, or by the immune system as a reaction to oncological processes in the body.
Depending on the location of the tumor,to form different proteins. Accordingly, this means that the oncomarkers show where there may be a cancer without an X-ray. That is why the analysis is used as a diagnostic method along with visual, such as ultrasound and x-ray.
According to the standard, the varieties of oncomarkers are more than 200. The most popular of them are the following:
The localization of a cancerous tumor is indicated in parentheses.which indicates a specific oncomarker. As can be seen, some indicate a specific localization, while others have a variability in the diagnosis. Therefore, a combination of markers is often used. For example, if you suspect a cancer, the pancreas is prescribed immediately by SA 242 and SA 19-9, and by ovarian cancer - AFP, SA125 and hCG. But in any case, a deviation from the norm will require comprehensive diagnosis.
Assign them in the following cases:
It is important to understand that one analysis for thyroid cancer markers is not even enough to exclude or, conversely, confirm the presence of a tumor.
This type of cancer is rare,mainly in women and the elderly. The thyroid gland is an organ that produces a lot of vitally important hormones. The lack or excess of which affects growth, mental development, metabolism and well-being in general. The organ is located on the front of the neck and looks like a butterfly: two lobes are connected by a thin isthmus. Because of its proximity to the surface, the location is often detected early in the palpation by the patient himself, for example, with washing.
Shchitovidka has four varieties:
Symptoms of a tumor are the following:
If there is at least one symptom, it is already worthworry, and when they are two of this list, then it is definitely worth the trouble of getting a diagnosis. As well as the diagnosis is regularly held by those who have a thyroid tumor in their ancestral family history.
The most informative diagnostic methods are the following:
But separately, none of them for stagingthe diagnosis does not apply. If a tumor is suspected when analyzing for tumor markers, ultrasound is necessary to detect the tumor itself and its exact location. If detected, a morphological examination is required to determine the degree of malignancy. And only then is the diagnosis made.
Uniformly increasing the size indicatespathological processes in the gland. Normally, the thyroid gland in women is not more than 19 cm³ and 25 cm³ in men. A cancerous tumor is characterized by an uneven build-up, which is evident in ultrasound.
Early diagnosis of the disease can savepatient life, because in the 1 st and 2 nd stages cancer is successfully treated, and the cases of healing on the 3rd are single. At the fourth stage, doctors can do little, just prolong life and alleviate suffering.
So what oncomarker shows thyroid cancerglands? Such oncomarkers are the hormones that the gland itself produces if it has a tumor or other degenerative changes. These are hormones such as calcitonin and thyroglobulin. In addition, the level of cancer-embryonic antigen or, in short, CEA, indicates tumor growth.
Oncomarker of the thyroid gland calcitonin is produced by C-cells of the thyroid gland. It is indicative in diagnosing the medullary type of cancer.
Thyroglobulin is produced by epithelialcells. The blood test for thyroglobulin is indicative only for papillary and follicular types of cancer. In case of a deviation from the norm, the tests for the level of triiodothyronine and thyroxine (T3 and T4) will be indicative.
Each has its own specificity:
For the most reliable result before submitting an analysis for thyroid cancer markers, it is recommended to fulfill the following requirements:
If any requirements can not be met, then you should inform the laboratory technician about it, he will make a note. For example, the refusal of a regular intake of any medication is associated with a risk to life.
Five minutes before blood donation to the level of calcitonin, the patient is administered pentagastrin for stimulation.
The amount of thyroglobulin in the blood in a healthyThe person usually does not exceed 10 ng / ml, but a slight increase is not terrible, since the rates are slightly higher. The norms of some hormones, for example, calcitonin in men and women may differ.
Oncomarker | Thyroid norm in men | Thyroid norm in women |
Thyroglobulin | From 2 mg / ml, but not more than 20 mg / ml, according to other data, the norm is up to 60 mg / ml | |
Calcitonin | 0.68-33 mg / ml, preferably closer to 8 mg / ml | 0.07-12.97 mg / ml |
Cancer-embryonic antigen (CEA) | Not more than 5 ng / ml | |
The norms are not uniform, they differ in different laboratories. But, even having received an analysis with deviations from the norm, one should not panic.
The statistics show that people often go to the laboratory bypassing the doctor, focusing on the norms, but this is not right. After all, as an isolated method of diagnosis, it is useless.
But if this happened, then the analysis should beestimated oncologist, who will diagnose or refute it, sending for an additional examination. It is worth remembering that in the presence of a tumor, the indicators are likely to be inflated significantly, at 10 or even 20 times. A slight increase indicates a malfunction in the thyroid gland.
About 10% of healthy people have elevatedindicators. During pregnancy, the indices can significantly increase and this is normal, as there are various hormonal changes. After the end of breast-feeding hormones should come back to normal. With age and with inflammatory processes in the body, the indicators also increase.
Is it possible to trust analyzes for cancer markers, if so many factors can affect their reliability? As with any diagnostic method, there are minuses and pluses, as well as a narrow focus.
Cons of visual diagnostics:
The minus of analyzes on onkomarkery is one, but serious - it is unreliability.
If we take the method not as the only one, butauxiliary, then all the claims to it will disappear, in their area of responsibility the analysis is quite good. As the control over the resumption of growth of a distant tumor, the analysis is irreplaceable. And also it helps to control the effectiveness of treatment and the appearance of relapses after removal of the tumor. But for prophylactic diagnosis is more indicative than ultrasound. There is a risk that the tumor has already begun to develop, and the oncomarkers will be negative.
</ p>
