Tumor, oncological markers, or simply oncomarkers - unfortunately, many people all over the planet already know what it is. And yet, the disease itself and the procedures for its diagnosis and treatment are shrouded in myths born of fear and ignorance. Cancer is too large and serious a problem to ignore. It is necessary that the level of education of people in this matter should rise.
Need for oncology diagnostic procedures
Speaking of any oncological disease, it should be noted that most patients, due to fear and ignorance in this matter, often lose time and turn to clinics already in the last stages. While constant monitoring of one's body for the presence of tumors in it is simply necessary for every person at the present time. There are many reasons for this: ecology, nutrition, lifestyle, stress, various diseases that can provoke education and growth.tumors.
In any encounter with cancer clinics, the term "tumor markers" comes up. What it is, for the layman is not yet entirely clear. Many believe that their presence in the body in itself already makes a terrible diagnosis. While tumor markers are not a means of diagnosis, and even more so - its result. Tumor markers, the decoding of which is purely informative, are nevertheless recommended for analysis by many oncologists.
Specificity of tumor markers
If we give an explanation of this phenomenon close to the scientific definition, these are protein-carbohydrate or lipid macromolecules, the presence and amount of which often indicates the formation of a malignant tumor or the onset of a relapse in a patient in remission.
It is necessary to understand that the concept of oncomarkers includes molecules with different characteristics. The only thing that unites them is that all cancer diagnostic methods take into account the ability of tumor markers to correlate with the tumor.
It is important that tumor markers never indicate the exact location of the tumor, they provide information about the possible presence of malignant tumors in the body. At the same time, the method cannot give a full guarantee to patients with normal indicators that there is no tumor in the body. All patients should understand the importance of diagnosing cancer in the early stages, but not panic when they receive the results. Specialists of each clinic will talk about such a method as tumor markers, what it is and what benefitscan provide such information.
Despite the need for such testing, tumor markers do not provide high-quality results in patients with the course of the disease without symptoms. One must be able to hear a diagnostician talking about the need for testing for tumor markers, that this is a real need to get a picture in patients with pronounced symptoms. Here, the correct decoding of indicators of oncological markers (AFP, hCG, PSA) can simply save the patient's life. Also, the information content of tumor markers is important for analyzing the effectiveness of various types of treatment protocols.
Summarizing all of the above, it is necessary to conclude that testing for the presence of oncological markers gives the best results (subject to correct interpretation) in some cases.
- When it is necessary to determine the degree of successful removal of the entire tumor or the presence of multiple tumors, the markers are almost zero in both cases.
- Monitoring the effectiveness of therapy and the course of the disease.
- Receive information about the possible presence of cancer.
In order to cope with this disease, it is necessary to know as much as possible about it, not to shy away from diagnostic tests. It is absolutely not a shame to learn from doctors everything about testing for tumor markers, what it is and how much it is necessary to do it in this particular case. The most important point that every person should remember: the earlier a tumor is detected, the more guarantees that it willcured.
