How to quickly identify oncology in the body. What tests are passed "for cancer": laboratory diagnostics of oncological diseases. Skin changes in men and women

Usually, patients think about the initial tests when certain symptoms come to them, the disease does not go away for a long time, or the general condition of the body worsens. Then the doctor, in any case, first of all sends the patient to take tests, after which it is already possible to say whether cancer is possible or not. We will try to explain to you as briefly and clearly as possible about each blood test for oncology.

Can cancer be detected by blood?

Unfortunately, a blood test for cancer is 100% unable to see cancer cells, but there is a certain degree of probability to identify a diseased organ. Blood is exactly the liquid that interacts with all tissues and cells in the human body, and it is clear that by a change in the chemical or biochemical composition, one can determine what is wrong with a person.

The analysis gives a signal to the doctor that the processes in the body are not proceeding correctly. And then he sends the patient for additional diagnostics of certain organs. By blood, you can identify in which organ the tumor can live, at what stage and what size. True, if a person additionally suffers from any diseases, then the accuracy of this study will be lower.

What blood tests show cancer?

• General (clinical) - shows the total number of erythrocytes, platelets, leukocytes and other cells in the blood. Deviations from the general indicator may also indicate a malignant tumor.
• Biochemistry -usually shows chemical composition blood. With this analysis, you can more accurately determine in what place and in what organ a person develops cancer.
• Analysis for tumor markers Is one of the most accurate analyzes for oncologists. When a tumor develops in the body and cells begin to mutate in a certain place, then this thing itself releases certain proteins or tumor markers into the blood. For the body, this protein is foreign, which is why the immune system immediately begins to try to fight it. Tumor markers in each of the tumors are different and by them it is possible to determine in which organ the enemy has settled.

Complete blood count and cancer

Every year, about half a million Russians are diagnosed with cancer, about 280 thousand of our citizens die because of this disease. Moreover, if a neoplasm is detected at the first or second stage, then it can be cured in about 95% of cases. How to detect cancer at an early stage, what examinations need to be done and how to minimize the risk of cancer, the day before World day the fight against cancer told RIA Novosti director of the Moscow Research Institute of Oncology named after Herzen, Professor Andrei Kaprin. Interviewed by Tatiana Stepanova.

- Andrey Dmitrievich, tell us how things are in the country today with the incidence and mortality of the population from malignant tumors?

- In the structure of mortality among the population, malignant neoplasms rank second (14.9%) after cardiovascular diseases (54.8%).

Approximately 480 thousand new cases of cancer are detected annually, and more than 280 thousand cases die. Of these, a fairly large number of people of working age (15.5%). This situation is largely due to the fact that people are late in seeking medical help. In an advanced stage, cancer is detected in every fifth patient, and this leads to the fact that mortality in the first year after diagnosis in our country reaches 26%. And when treating cancer at an early stage, the 10-year survival rate reaches 95% or more.

Basically, the disease is diagnosed in elderly people - from 60 years and above. The likelihood of developing cancer in men under the age of 60 is 8.2%, in women of this age - 8.7%. And after the age of 60, these figures look like this: 21.6% for men and 17.3% for women. So than longer duration life in the country, the more attention should be paid to preventive examinations.

In those Russian regions where there is a high depopulation of cities and villages (young people leave, the elderly remain), mortality from malignant neoplasms increases indirectly, while the detection rate remains the same. At our institute, we are conducting the All-Russian Cancer Register, and this is nothing more than the best epidemiological study, thanks to which we receive all the information on cancer in the regions.

— In which regions have they succeeded in treating cancer?

- In Kazan, in Khabarovsk, they work quite well to identify and treat such patients. There, primary care doctors have oncological alertness, special tests are taken massively: in men - for prostate specific antigen (PSA), in women - for CA 125. These studies can detect at an early stage prostate cancer in men and cervical cancer in women. In women, unfortunately, the incidence of cancer of this particular localization is now very much growing. For ten years, the increase was about 30% in general among women, and at the age of up to 29 years it almost doubled, up to 44 years - 1.5 times. We believe that this is due to early onset of sexual activity, promiscuous sexual relations and the spread of the human papillomavirus.

- What research needs to be done by men, women and at what age to diagnose the disease at an early stage?

- Women over 39 years of age should have regular examination of the cervix and breast. Men from 45 years old should be examined by a urologist for prostate cancer. Latent blood in the stool can be a very important indicator. For women and men over 45, we recommend taking an analysis to detect it.

With all the prevalence of these diseases, lung cancer is still in the first place. Unfortunately, fluorography is not enough to detect it at an early stage, so we recommend that you undergo an X-ray examination annually. Skin cancer is also a fairly common neoplasm.

Moreover, the most malignant skin tumor is localized on the back, on the scapula. Unfortunately, she is not very worried at the beginning of the disease.

— Does this mean that sunbathing is harmful?

- Of course, this is a disgrace when we go to regions where the sun is very hot, and do not think at all about protecting the skin. When the local population wears completely covered clothes, we lie in direct sunlight and "sunbathe" - this is no good. I also think that we have a lot of unlicensed tanning salons, the activities of which no one controls, they have written about this more than once.

— Can a person suspect or recognize the first signs of cancer himself?

- Lung cancer can be suspected by a person only at a late stage of the disease or when the bronchus is affected and a cough or hemoptysis appears. Prior to that, he was completely asymptomatic. Of course, at the initial stage, lung cancer can be seen on an X-ray, but the radiologist must also be experienced and competent.

Therefore, I keep repeating: women need to do an ultrasound of the mammary glands and mammography every year. Men should see a doctor if they have urinary disorders. I need to donate blood for PSA. It doesn't require any special preparation, it doesn't take much time.

— Why do you think some of our citizens still prefer to be treated abroad?

- Modern medicine has no boundaries, the best ways to deal with the disease are quickly available to doctors different countries... Treatment both abroad and in our country is carried out under the same international protocols. Nevertheless, there are those who prefer to go to a foreign clinic. Everyone has their own reasons for this. Some doctors have ceased to keep medical confidentiality. If a person occupies certain positions, he, of course, does not want his illnesses to be made public. The second reason lies in the fact that some charitable organizations collect money for aid abroad, in fact, children are treated in our clinics, and charitable organizations help these centers survive.

And finally, rehabilitation after surgical interventions is still poorly developed in our country. Our specialists do the operations just as well. We recently discharged a 19-year-old girl who was refused treatment in Germany as inoperable. She had an extensive malignant retrosternal tumor. And after we operated on her, the mother of this girl showed the pictures to German doctors. They gave a standing ovation for three minutes. Now the girl has already gone to work.

— Do you think it is necessary to change the order of prophylactic medical examination, especially in terms of examinations for oncological diseases? Can primary care physicians detect a tumor in the first or second stage?

- The oncological component of prophylactic medical examination of the adult population involves two stages. On the first, the risk group is identified with the help of the research we talked about. At the second stage, the diagnosis is clarified. I believe that the clinical examination in the form in which it is now taking place is fully justified.

- Early diagnosis of cancer would significantly reduce mortality. Nevertheless, unfortunately, most people in Russia prefer not to be examined, but to live according to the principle “until the thunder breaks out ...” How to convince the population not to adhere to this rule?

- Convince, show, prove. For example, on the basis of our institute, we created the National Center for Oncology of the Reproductive Organs, whose goal is to strengthen cooperation between doctors and patients and to popularize medical knowledge in this area.

Since this year, on Saturdays, we have begun to hold open days for residents of the neighboring Northern District on a regular basis, we invite them to a free primary diagnosis of the most common diseases. And we are doing it quite successfully - people go and get checked.

In order to organize a direct channel of communication with the population, to receive feedback, we created the Public Committee "Medcontrol" together with the prefecture of the Northern District and intend to cooperate with public organizations monitor how medical care is provided in our city. These measures, I am sure, will increase the level of mutual trust and medical literacy of the population.

— How can the risk of developing cancer be minimized?

- Among the main reasons for the incidence of cancer, as statistics show, the leading position is taken by unhealthy diet - up to 35%. Smoking is in second place - up to 32%. Thus, two thirds of cancer cases are due to these factors. We also recommend not to get carried away with tanning, do not use products with dyes. And visit your doctor regularly.

Probably, we have all heard at least once: "Cancer is the plague of the XXI century." The comparison is appropriate if we talk about the scale of the problem: the disease does not choose people either by gender, or by age, or by personal qualities or social status - for cancer, everyone is equal. But, compared to the plague, cancer still leaves more chances.

Studies show that rational screening programs and diagnostics throughout the year in the presence of complaints and symptoms help, if not in the prevention of cancer, then in identifying it in the early stages, when the disease is still curable.

"I want to get tested for everything!" - by this, patients usually mean a blood test for tumor markers, and for everything: both the mammary gland and the ovaries, and it does not matter that the patient is a man.

This is both funny and scary, because it proves how little people are informed about the diagnosis of cancer.

It is important to distinguish between early diagnosis - screening, professional medical examinations from the employer, and late, or, more correctly, clarifying.

Tumor markers are proteins. They are nonspecific in early diagnosis or screening, as they may respond with elevations to various conditions. For example, CEA (cancer embryonic antigen) can be elevated in a smoker or during inflammation.

Conversely, in a patient with stage 4 breast cancer, the CA15.3 tumor marker specific for it may remain within the normal range.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for men, which helps in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, is considered relatively specific today.

Hence the conclusion: the analysis for tumor markers is primarily a method of clarifying diagnostics, when the diagnosis is already known. Tumor marker analysis can be used to assess the effectiveness of the treatment. In the future, when the problem is solved and the patient is under dynamic observation, an increase in protein may signal a relapse of the disease and become a reason for the expansion of diagnostic procedures.

If tumor markers are checked uncontrollably and without agreement with the oncologist, the situation with the diagnosis can lead to only one specialist - a psychotherapist, and this is a completely different story!

Another diagnostic technique that is gaining popularity among patients is PET / CT (positron emission tomography). The radiopharmaceutical used for PET / CT (more often it is radioactive glucose) is actively accumulated by most tumor cells.

This method is informative only for certain types of cancer, including in hematology, but not for neuroendocrine tumors, kidney cancer, or in the search for tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, its use is not routine and should have clear indications defined by the oncologist. PET / CT is a very complex procedure in terms of patient preparation, duration of the study, analysis of the result, and when used not according to indications, with all its complexity, it can be useless.

Thus, there is no one or even two universal studies that would answer all questions in oncology, and even one, but the most important one: "Does a person have cancer or not?"

Meanwhile, there are diagnostic standards for men and women, aimed at detecting cancer in the early - pre-symptomatic - stages.

Mandatory are:

For women

• Mammography after 35 years (basic) + ultrasound of the mammary glands. In case of suspicion or complaints in patients at a young age or with increased breast density, MRI of the mammary glands with contrast (breast cancer screening) is the method of choice.
• Annual examination by a gynecologist and smear for oncocytology from the age of 21 (screening for cervical cancer).

For men

• Annual visit to a urologist and control of PSA and testosterone levels from the age of 40 (screening for prostate cancer).

For all

• Low-dose chest CT scan from 55 to 80 years old for people with a 30-year history of smoking or those who quit smoking no more than 15 years ago (lung cancer screening).
• Gastro- and colonoscopy after 45-50 years or earlier in the presence of a burdened family history or in the presence of diseases of the duodenum.

In the recommendations and screening programs, you can find a fecal occult blood test, and only if the test is positive, conduct a colonoscopy. But to obtain the correct result, proper preparation is required, and even in this case, there is a high risk of obtaining a false-positive and false-negative result, and therefore we still recommend performing a basic colonoscopy, and if there are no risks, CT colonography is acceptable.

A dermatological examination and dermatoscopy is a general recommendation for all ages and all genders with risk factors such as fair skin, sunburn in the past, a large number of moles or changes in pigmented lesions.

In all other cases, to draw up a diagnostic plan, you must contact a doctor who will prescribe a personalized check-up taking into account age, heredity, occupational risks and other factors.

Diagnostics is a process in which there are two main links: the patient and the doctor, and in this sequence! Communication between the patient and the oncologist determines the general and individual approaches in diagnostics, which allow obtaining the maximum informational benefit for the patient's health with minimal time and material costs.

With the support of:

The insidiousness of cancer is that pain appears only in the late stages. Are there “early” signs that can help you start treatment on time and save your life?

General and local symptoms

Detect cancer at an early stage, before it spreads tentacles throughout the body metastasis, is a guarantee of a positive prognosis for treatment. Every year, about half a million people in our country are diagnosed with malignant tumors, half of them die.

These are the ones who went to the doctor too late.

95% of patients with a detected neoplasm in the first or second stage are successfully cured.

In whatever part of the body a malignant tumor is located, it gives itself out with the following symptoms:

More specific symptoms depend on the location of the malignant tumor.

Lungs' cancer

The leader of oncological diseases - lung cancer - is difficult to distinguish from other pathologies of the respiratory system, since in the early stages there are:

For this reason, patients are often treated for other pathologies.

Mammary cancer

At the initial stages, there are simply no obvious signs of the disease, even with self-feeling. Still, a young woman should provide a monthly self-examination of the breast, which includes:

Signs of cancer can be the slightest seals, swelling and deformities, cheishuyki and wounds on the nipple and areola.

Such examination is not enough for women over the age of 39. To detect cancer on time, you need to be examined.

Cancer of the male genital organs

On palpation, any swelling and induration, even a pea-sized difference in size, should be suspicious. Over time, aching pain and a feeling of heaviness appear in the testicles.

Prostate cancer is a male thunderstorm that develops with age. It is dangerous because in the early stages imperceptibly... Someone has frequent urge to use the toilet, pain in the perineum, blood in the urine, although the first symptoms may not be present.

Larynx cancer

In 95% of cases of pathology, men also become patients. At an early stage, the disease betrays itself by hoarseness and a change in the timbre of the voice, but only if the vocal cords are affected. Vestibular cancer of the larynx proceeds unnoticed until the neoplasm causes a sensation of presence foreign body, interferes with swallowing and breathing.

Digestive system cancer

It will not be possible to identify intestinal cancer on your own at the first stage of development. Usually it is discovered by chance - already at a later stage at a doctor's appointment. Therefore, you need to be on the lookout if the following symptoms are observed for a long time:

• increased gas formation;
• a feeling of fullness in the intestines;
• alternating constipation and diarrhea;
• discomfort during bowel movements, false desires;
• blood in the stool.

But that's the difficulty of diagnosis: similar symptoms are characteristic of hemorrhoids, paraproctitis and other diseases.

Stomach cancer betrays itself lack of appetite and rise in temperature.

Feeling of heaviness and pain occurs much later.

In liver cancer, along with general symptoms, there are:

• heaviness in the right hypochondrium;
• enlargement of the abdomen.

In the glandular tissue, the tumor grows instantly. Within a month from the moment of its formation, it can be palpated on palpation.

Cancer of the female genital organs

These include tumors of the ovary, vagina, cervix, and body of the uterus.

In whatever place of the female genital organs a malignant neoplasm appears, at an early stage a woman does not even suspect that a tumor appears inside her.

With the development of the disease, blood clots appear in the female discharge.

With ovarian cancer - menstrual irregularities and frequent urination.

Skin cancer

The disease can be diagnosed visually even at an early stage. Skin cancer is characterized by:

External defects can occur anywhere, even on the mucous membrane.

Brain cancer

Symptoms directly depend on which area of \u200b\u200bthe brain the seal appeared and how large it is:

Even a benign tumor is dangerous for the brain.

Bone cancer

Almost immediately with the onset of the disease, a dull aching pain appears near the joint. Over time, it becomes more intense, swelling and redness appear. Most often, different types of bone cancer occur on the legs, pelvis and chest, less often on the head, including the jaw.

What kind of examination?

Since in the initial stages, cancer proceeds covertly, regular preventive examinations and tests are recommended. Tells about the development of any type of cancer in the body blood test.

To confirm the diagnosis, more local studies are assigned.

To reduce the risk of developing pathology, the examination should be annual.