Worldwide, October is the month of the fight against breast cancer. It is the most common cancer among women. Modern laboratory diagnostics can detect cancer at an early stage, which is the key to a successful cure.

In Russia, more than 50 thousand new cases of breast cancer are noted annually. From year to year, experts note an increase in incidence. Of course, this is a rather alarming trend, however, it is largely due to the success of modern medicine. Diagnostic methods are becoming more sophisticated, it gives more chances to detect cancer at an earlier stage, which, in turn, is the key to a successful cure in more than 90% of cases. In order to identify the disease “in the bud,” you need to regularly visit specialists. If you are over 40 years old, you need to visit a mammologist at least once a year.

Along with instrumental diagnostics (ultrasound, mammography, MRI), in the arsenal of doctors there are modern laboratory research methods, in particular, the determination of tumor markers in the blood. Oncomarkers are specific compounds that signal the onset and development of a pathological process in the body. One of them is called cancer-embryonic antigen (CEA). It is produced in fetal tissues during embryonic development. In adults, CEA is found only in very small quantities. A slight increase in the level of CEA may be associated with benign diseases of the internal organs, but this can also speak of oncology. To understand, it is necessary to repeat the study upon receipt of an increased result in order to see the dynamics. With the development of a malignant tumor , significant increases are usually observed – at times and tens of times from the reference interval. The analysis on CEA is carried out with suspected neoplasm in the mammary gland, colon, rectum, stomach, pancreas, ENT organs, esophagus.

Another tumor marker that is used in the diagnosis of breast cancer is called CA 15-3. Behind this purely scientific name is a real opportunity to monitor the course of the disease and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment. The antigen is secreted from carcinoma cells (a tumor developing from epithelial cells) of the mammary gland. The dynamics of the marker level is of great importance for diagnosis, allowing you to detect the progression of the disease in time. In relapses or metastases, the concentration of CA 15-3 usually rises much earlier (almost immediately when the process appears at the molecular level), while up to the appearance of other clinical symptoms, it can take up to several months. Up to 80% of women with breast cancer metastases have a significant increase in the level of this tumor marker .

” Sitilab ” joins the month of the fight against this terrible disease, and offers take advantage of special conditions for research within the federal campaign “Protect breast cancer.” When conducting a comprehensive analysis on tumor markers CEA and CA 15-3, a 10% discount is provided.

Recommended Studies:

● Cancer-embryonic antigen (CEA)

● Oncomarker CA 15-3