Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. It can originate in various organs or tissues, with more than 100 distinct types identified and named based on their point of origin.
Around 1.9 million new cancer cases occur each year in the U.S. Approximately 39.5% of adults will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime.
Cancer diagnosis tests identify the specific type of cancer present or rule it out, guiding treatment decisions.
Cancer screening tests detect potential disease before symptoms appear, enabling early intervention.
Monitoring tests track cancer progression or remission, assessing treatment efficacy and detecting potential recurrence.
Cancer screening tests are important, especially for people at high risk. You’re at higher risk if you’ve had cancer before, someone in your family had cancer, you have certain gene changes, you’ve been around harmful chemicals or tobacco, you had a blood clot for no reason, or you’re older. These people might need more tests or earlier tests. But everyone should get regular cancer checks based on their age.
A tumor marker test primarily used to monitor pancreatic cancer, but it can also be elevated in other gastrointestinal cancers.
This test measures a protein that can be elevated in breast cancer. It’s often used to monitor treatment response or check for recurrence in breast cancer patients.
This is primarily used as a tumor marker for ovarian cancer. It can help in monitoring treatment effectiveness and checking for recurrence.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen is a protein that can be elevated in several types of cancer, including colorectal, lung, breast, and pancreatic cancers.
Alpha-fetoprotein is a protein that can be elevated in liver cancer and testicular cancer. It’s also used in prenatal testing.
