Cancer is one of the most serious diseases of our time. Now the number of sick people is many times higher than the level of past decades. Scientists associate this phenomenon with the growth of adverse factors affecting a person in modern society. Oncology is engaged in the study of cancer cells and the development of methods to combat them.
During the research she has accumulated rich experience in diagnosing this disease.
Diagnosis and treatment problems
When the body is affected by cancer, metastases form in it. When the disease progresses, the localization of the tumor foci in the places where they were originally detected is disrupted. Cancer cells are able to separate from such foci, spread throughout the body and form new metastases. Moreover, they have amazing vitality. Only one such motile cell can cause large cancerous growths. The difficulty of treatment is that, having destroyed metastasis, it cannot be guaranteed that there are no more cancer cells left in the body. In any case, the patient needs to undergo chemotherapy.
Blood analysis
Medicine has come close to solving this problem. Oncologists received a method that allows for the labeling of cancer cells. A tagged object is easily detectable. Such an analysis can detect cancer in the early stages of development. It is also used to monitor the patient’s condition during treatment and helps to accurately adjust the number of necessary procedures. This significantly reduces the harm done to the body by anti-cancer therapy. In addition, the presence of tumor cells can be determined by the products of their vital activity in the blood of the patient. For this, an analysis of cancer cells is performed. The price of such a procedure varies from 700 rubles to 2 thousand (the cost depends on the type of tumor marker).
The use of radioisotopes in the diagnosis
The most advanced technologies have been used to detect signs of cancer . A radioisotope study may reveal a pathology when there is still no clear symptomatology. It is recommended to people at risk. These are those patients who already had cancer patients in their family.
Positron Emission Tomography
This study relates to modern methods of accurate diagnosis. It not only makes it possible to detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease, but also allows you to track their movement in the human body.
Based on PET, the doctor is able to suggest which tissues will spread metastases, and to begin prophylaxis in time.
Prediction of treatment outcomes
A favorable treatment outcome is directly dependent on therapy. If a medical intervention occurred at an early stage of cancer development, then there is a great chance of a successful recovery. Among such patients, the number of people who won the disease and returned to a normal lifestyle is 70-95%.