When the health problems begin: the inflammatory process or the traditional course of treatment of some disease does not work, the doctor gives direction to the tests. The simplest study - a blood test, taken from a finger, can say enough about the condition of the patient.
Many diseases, including cancer, the initial phase pass without bright special symptoms. Namely, in the first stage of the disease, there is often the possibility of a complete cure. A person who wants to be healthy will make it an obligatory rule to check their blood for analysis once a year or in half a year. Frequency of checks depends:
- on age,
- hereditary propensities,
- work environment features,
- environmental situation,
- level of stress.
Is it possible to determine the cancer by the blood test?
Investigation of direct diagnosis for oncology does not.
Changes in indicators can cause the transferred illness, the presence of bad habits, pregnancy. It is important in time to see the change in blood composition in a particular person.
Therefore, before determining the cancer by blood, the specialist will analyze the individual characteristics and will assign a refining examination.
Types of diagnostics
Detection of possible oncology is carried out using two types of blood tests:
- general( clinical),
- biochemical( on oncomarkers).
Clinical analysis is performed for all types of diseases, including cancer. Biochemical analysis provides a wide range of versatile indicators, gives a lot of clarifying information about the pathology in the body.
The presence of the oncologic process in the patient is determined by conducting a check for markers.
Indications for
Blood performs vital functions:
- maintains media consistency,
- feeds tissues,
- supplies oxygen,
- utilizes waste materials.
Therefore, any failure in the system will be reflected in the composition of the blood. In order not to miss the onset of oncological process development, it is necessary to make a study with such symptoms:
- does not undergo inflammatory processes, prolonged chronic diseases;
- pathology does not respond to the effects of drugs that previously helped;
- marked decrease in immunity,
- frequent rise in temperature, and the cause is not clear;
- weight loss,
- inadequate reaction to odors,
- change in the action of taste buds,
- appetite impairment,
- unexplained pain,
- decline of strength,
- for the purpose of prevention at least once a year.
General analysis of
The procedure is always prescribed in any prolonged process. A clinical study shows a quantitative presence in the blood:
- platelets - cells that are responsible for the degree of clotting;
- of erythrocytes - are red corpuscles, supply tissues with oxygen;
- leukocytes - provide protection against infections and malicious viruses;white blood cells are part of the immunity mechanism;
- hemoglobin - involved in the gas exchange of cells, is an iron-containing pigment.
A general blood test for cancer shows the level of ESR( erythrocyte sedimentation rate).
The possible development of the cancer process in the patient may indicate:
- increase( or decrease) in the quantitative presence of leukocyte cells,
- the presence of immature cells,
- deviation from the norm of the quantitative presence of other cell types, more often down,
- ESR is significantly higher than the norm,
- presence of granular white blood cells,
- reduced hemoglobin.
To find out more information about the suspicion of the presence of oncology, the specialist will suggest the patient to make an analysis for oncomarkers.
Biochemical
Cancer formation induces protein-specific cells. Their composition differs depending on the localization of pathology. These substances fall into the total flow of blood.
In a healthy person, the analysis reveals them in quite a small amount. They may be completely absent.
The presence of an increased number of certain oncomarkers narrows the area of the problem search, but it can not be said that oncology is present. It is necessary to continue the research of the clarifying nature by other methods.
Venous blood is used more often for examination, but capillary blood may also be taken into account. How to act in a particular case is decided by the doctor who gives the direction.
Presumably, the analysis will point to an area where oncology can develop, the degree of process maturity and the size of the focus. However, it may be that the analysis revealed the parameters of the inflammatory process. Therefore, until the presence of oncology is confirmed by other studies, do not despair.
| Oncomarker | Dislocation of a possible cancerous tumor, if verification by additional studies confirms this. | Note |
| CA 125 | Endometrium of the uterus or ovaries. | |
| CA 19-9 | An undesirable process may develop in the gastrointestinal tract. | |
| PSA | Prostate. | The number of oncomarker may depend on the age category. Therefore, it is important to check several times through time to compare the results of the performed studies and see the dynamics. The indicator above 30 ascertains an oncology, if below this figure - it is necessary to connect other variants of diagnostics. |
| CA 15-3 | Breast, cervix, ovaries. | |
| AFP | Digestive system, liver. | |
| REA | The marker indicates a wide area of localization of a possible disease: the bladder, digestive organs, the mammary gland, as well as the lungs, the cervix. | This number is also increased in people who suffer from alcohol and tobacco addiction. |
| beta-hCG | Embryonic types of formations( neuroblastoma, nephroblastoma). | |
| CA-242 | Bladder. | |
| CA 72-4 | Indicates a pathology in the area of the stomach, lungs. | |
| CYFRA 21-1 | The marker gives a sign that you need to check your lungs and bladder. | |
| HE4 | Ovaries. |
Blood test for cancer markers is usually prescribed in cases:
- requires confirmation of the presence of cancer process,
- detection of suspected metastasis from a cancerous tumor,
- monitoring of the effectiveness of treatment procedures,
- clarification of benign education or not,
- determining the result of treatment in oncology.
What is oncommarkets, will tell the following video:
Work on the creation of markers continues. At the moment, no determinants have been developed for analysis, for example, on brain cancer and the pathology of some other organs.What are the indicators for blood cancer?
When studying the results of a general blood test, an increase in the quantitative ratio of immature leukocytes will indicate that acute leukemia develops in the body.
Other blood cells may be in short supply. There is anemia.
If the analysis reveals the presence of granulocytes or granular white blood cells in an increased quantity, then we can talk about developing chronic leukemia.
Anemia and a decrease in the number of other cell types may also occur.
Elevated levels of the B-2-MG cancers may indicate the presence of multiple myeloma, lymphoma, or lymphocytic leukemia .
Preparing patients
To ensure that the blood counts for cancer are not affected by unaccounted factors, it is recommended that preparatory steps be taken before submitting the material for analysis.
- It should be two weeks before the procedure to refuse systemic medication.
- In order not to worsen the result due to the body's reaction to alcohol, fried and fatty foods, you should not use it for a couple of days before taking the analysis.
- Smoking involves negative processes in the body, so you must abandon it at least an hour before the procedure.
- Half an hour before the procedure is recommended to spend at rest, eliminating mental and physical stress.
- If the patient has undergone other types of examination the day before using instruments or instruments, it is better to take some pause to avoid getting a distorted result.
Rules for general analysis:
- A small meal is possible in four to five hours, but it's best to take a break in food for eight hours. You can drink water.
Biochemical analysis:
- To get the correct undistorted result, before the procedure you need to starve for 8 ÷ 12 hours. Since the intake of material for analysis is usually done in the morning hours, then the time for a break in food falls on a night's sleep. You can drink water.
Video on the diagnosis of cancer using a blood test: