Page 143#37. Learn your cancer markers!
Before we finish, let me tell you a little about “markers”. Cancer markers are
often used by oncologists to sell you more expensive treatment, or to convince
you that what was spent on your treatment was worthwhile.
I encourage you not to be fooled by this and to learn more about what markers
really mean.
Basically, tumor markers are substances that can be found in abnormal amounts
in the blood, urine, or tissues of some patients with cancer. Different tumor
markers are found in different types of cancer and can be used to help diagnose
cancer, predict a patient’s response to particular therapies or determine if cancer
has returned.
Tumor markers alone cannot be used to diagnose cancer; they must be
combined with other tests.
So what are tumor markers?
Tumor markers are substances produced by tumor cells or by other cells of
the body in response to cancer or certain benign (noncancerous) conditions.
Different tumor markers are found in different types of cancer, and levels of the
same tumor marker can be altered in more than one type of cancer.
So markers can’t really help diagnose what kind of cancer is present. Not
precisely.
Remember also tumor marker levels are not altered in all people with cancer,
especially if the cancer is early stage. So no cancer markers is NOT a sign you
are clear. And again, don’t forget, some tumor marker levels can also be altered
in patients with noncancerous conditions. So plus markers does NOT mean you
have cancer either!
To date, researchers have identified more than a dozen substances that seem
to appear abnormally when some types of cancer are present. Some of these
substances are also found in other conditions and diseases, so they are not
specific. And not all types of cancer have a marker.