Some types of cancer can be found before they cause symptoms. Checking for cancer can help physicians find and treat some types of cancer early. Remarkable advancements have been made in developing sophisticated tools to detect malignancies at their earliest and most treatable stages. Goldcrest Polychem offers diagnostic tests for the early markers of cancer detection. Tumor
markers are molecules occurring in blood or tissue that are associated
with cancer and whose measurement or identification is useful in
patient diagnosis or clinical management. The ideal marker would be a
"blood test" for cancer in which a positive result would occur only in
patients with malignancy, one that would correlate with stage and
response to treatment and that was easily and reproducibly measured.
Fecal Occult Blood (FOB)
Hemoglobin in feces is an indication of internal bleedings associated with pathological conditions of the gastrointestinal tract such as colorectal carcinoma, colon polyps and Crohn's disease. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world. The appearance of occult blood in human fecal specimen is often associated with gastrointestinal diseases, which might cause colorectal cancer if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Early detection and screening for colorectal cancer increases the cancer detection at an early stage, therefore reducing mortality cases. The FOB One Step Rapid Test device uses technology of lateral flow assays which is more sensitive and specific than traditional assays. In addition, the accuracy of the test is not affected by any diet.
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. It is the most commonly tested tumor marker for the prostate gland and is normally present in low levels in the blood of all adult men. The normal range is 0 to 4 ng/ml.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a protein found in many types of cells but associated with tumors and is normally produced during the development of a fetus. The production of CEA stops before birth, and it usually is not present in the blood of healthy adults. The normal range is <2.5 ng/ml in an adult non-smoker and <5.0 ng/ml in a smoker. The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test measures the amount of this protein that may appear in the blood of some people who have certain kinds of cancers, especially large intestine cancer (colorectal cancer). Although CEA was first identified in colon cancer, elevated CEA levels are found in a variety of cancers other than colonic, including pancreatic, gastric, lung, and breast. It is also detected in benign conditions including cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic lung disease, and pancreatitis. The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test is used to:
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
Alpha-Fetoprotein is a normal fetal serum protein synthesized by the liver, yolk sac, and gastrointestinal tract that shares sequence homology with albumin. It is a major component of fetal plasma, reaching a peak concentration of 3 mg/ml at 12 weeks of gestation. Following birth, it clears rapidly from the circulation, having a half life of 3.5 days, and its concentration in adult serum is less than 20 ng/ml. The AFP is rarely elevated in healthy persons, and a rise is seen in only a few disease states. Elevation occurs in certain liver diseases, especially acute viral or drug induced hepatitis and conditions associated with hepatic regeneration.
Fecal Occult Blood (FOB)
Hemoglobin in feces is an indication of internal bleedings associated with pathological conditions of the gastrointestinal tract such as colorectal carcinoma, colon polyps and Crohn's disease. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world. The appearance of occult blood in human fecal specimen is often associated with gastrointestinal diseases, which might cause colorectal cancer if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Early detection and screening for colorectal cancer increases the cancer detection at an early stage, therefore reducing mortality cases. The FOB One Step Rapid Test device uses technology of lateral flow assays which is more sensitive and specific than traditional assays. In addition, the accuracy of the test is not affected by any diet.
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. It is the most commonly tested tumor marker for the prostate gland and is normally present in low levels in the blood of all adult men. The normal range is 0 to 4 ng/ml.
- It is normal for men to have a low level of PSA in their blood; however, prostate cancer or benign (not cancerous) conditions can increase a man’s PSA level
- As men age, both benign prostate conditions and prostate cancer become more common
- The most frequent benign prostate conditions are prostitis (inflammation of the prostate) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (enlargement of the prostate). There is no evidence that prostatitis or BPH causes cancer, but it is possible for a man to have one or both of these conditions and to develop prostate cancer as well
- PSA is highly sensitive for the presence of prostatic cancer. The elevation correlated with stage and tumor volume. It is predictive of recurrence and response to treatment and has prognostic value in patients with very high values prior to surgery are likely to relapse
Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)
Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a protein found in many types of cells but associated with tumors and is normally produced during the development of a fetus. The production of CEA stops before birth, and it usually is not present in the blood of healthy adults. The normal range is <2.5 ng/ml in an adult non-smoker and <5.0 ng/ml in a smoker. The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test measures the amount of this protein that may appear in the blood of some people who have certain kinds of cancers, especially large intestine cancer (colorectal cancer). Although CEA was first identified in colon cancer, elevated CEA levels are found in a variety of cancers other than colonic, including pancreatic, gastric, lung, and breast. It is also detected in benign conditions including cirrhosis, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic lung disease, and pancreatitis. The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test is used to:
- Find how widespread cancer is for some types of the disease, especially colon cancer
- Check the success of treatment for colon cancer
- CEA levels may be measured both before and after surgery to evaluate both the success of the surgery and the person's chances of recovery
- CEA levels may be measured during treatment with medicines to destroy cancer cells (chemotherapy). This provides information about how well the treatment is working
- Check to see if cancer has returned after treatment
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)
Alpha-Fetoprotein is a normal fetal serum protein synthesized by the liver, yolk sac, and gastrointestinal tract that shares sequence homology with albumin. It is a major component of fetal plasma, reaching a peak concentration of 3 mg/ml at 12 weeks of gestation. Following birth, it clears rapidly from the circulation, having a half life of 3.5 days, and its concentration in adult serum is less than 20 ng/ml. The AFP is rarely elevated in healthy persons, and a rise is seen in only a few disease states. Elevation occurs in certain liver diseases, especially acute viral or drug induced hepatitis and conditions associated with hepatic regeneration.
- AFP is of importance in diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma and may be useful in screening procedures
- It is a marker for hepatocellular and germ cell (nonseminoma) carcinoma
- AFP is
elevated in normal pregnancy, benign liver disease (hepatitis,
cirrhosis)
- Elevated in testicular germ cell tumors containing embryonal or endodermal sinus elements. A definitive positive marker value is highly sensitive in indicating relapse or response to treatment
- Less frequently elevated in other malignancies such as pancreatic cancers, gastric cancers, colonic cancers, and bronchogenic cancers