Various Tests for Cancer Detection and Prevention
Cancer prevention goes a long way from simply taking measures to avoid getting cancer. Getting tested for cancer is also an important factor in cancer prevention. It is an early cancer diagnosis that treatment of cancer can become successful. There are numerous cancer prevention tests that can be used to detect cancer. West.net gives us a low down of some of these cancer tests:
Tests for Bladder Cancer
Over the past few years, cancer news has revealed a number of new tests, which can be performed on urine samples, to aid bladder cancer diagnosis.
• BTA® test – designed to detect proteins that are released by reproduction of bladder cancer tumor cells and its interpretation does not require a technician or specialist. The BTA® test significantly identifies superficial (surface) bladder cancer tumors by changing color. The top of the BTA® test strip turns yellow when positive for bladder cancer and it turns green when negative. The BTA stat test is an immunologic assay that can be used to identify recurrent bladder cancer.
• The FDP® test detects the breakdown products of blood-clotting proteins (fibrin, fibrinogen), which are increased in the urine in the presence of bladder cancer.
• The NMP22™ assay measures specific proteins from the cell center. It can detect transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) with a sensitivity of roughly 67%, meaning that 67% of existing TCCs are detected. The NMP22™ assay is also more importantly able to predict the recurrence of bladder cancer.
Tests for Breast Cancer
• Acueity ductoscopy is a patented optical system and ductoscope, about the size of a pencil tip, which enables physicians to look through the nipple directly into the milk ducts where 85% of breast cancer develops. Their system of microendoscopes, coupled with patented OptiCue™ optical technology results in large, clear and sharp video images of the mammary duct system, with unprecedented depth of field perception and detects lesions as small as 0.2mm in diameter (50 times more sensitive than a standard mammogram.)
• Amas test – this can be the first test choice to check for breast cancer. The AMAS test detects the malignant growth only and is more sensitive than mammograms. Further tests are warranted however if the AMAS is positive for cancer as it does not indicate where the cancer is located, only that there is cancer within the body. AMAS test can also be used to follow breast cancer patients who are in remission, since the AMAS returns to normal within 3 months after breast cancer tumor (and metastases, if present) are removed or eradicated.
• Ductal lavage is a new test developed by Dr. Susan Love. It is a simple blood test and an infrared imaging system that samples the lining of ducts of the breast to see what the cells are doing and to detect precancerous abnormalities or cancer cells. It has been dubbed “pap smear for the breast” because, like the test for cervical cancer, it is a non-surgical approach to identifying abnormal cells, potentially making it possible to find them when they are just thinking about becoming cancer.
• Mammography/Thermography – the latest cancer information involves two new forms of mammography are making news on detecting breast cancers: Computed Tomography Laser Mammography (CTLM) and Full Field Digital Mammography.
The CTLM system uses state-of-the-art laser technology, a special array of detectors and proprietary computed algorithms. The CTLM® system does not expose the patient to ionizing radiation or require breast compression.
Digital mammography still uses low energy x-rays that pass through the breast exactly like conventional mammograms but are recorded by means of an electronic digital detector instead of the film. This electronic image can be displayed on a video monitor like a TV or printed onto film. The radiologist can manipulate the digital mammogram electronically to magnify an area, change contrast, or alter the brightness.
• Another test being developed is a blood test to detect a protein marker for breast cancer. The test apparently can pick up cancerous tumors and pre-cancerous conditions.
• Thermography can determine precancerous changes at an earlier, and theoretically more treatable, stage—months or even years before those changes would be felt as a lump or be visible on a mammogram, and all without radiation. Thermography uses thermal imaging which detects new blood vessels and chemical changes associated with a tumor’s genesis and growth.
• Other Imaging Methods for Breast Cancer Detection:
There also a number of other imaging methods available for detecting breast cancer. At present, they are used mainly in cancer research studies, and sometimes to get more information about a tumor found by another method. Each of these new methods generates a computerized image that the doctor can analyze for the presence of an abnormal breast lump. These include:
Scintigraphy [sin-TOG-ra-fee]
Also called scintimammography, this test uses a special camera to show where a tracer (a radioactive chemical) has adhered to a cancer tumor. A scanner is then used to see if the breast lump has picked up more of the radioactive material than the rest of the breast tissue.
• PET scan
Cancer cells grow fast – especially breast cancer cells – faster than other cells, so they use up energy faster, too. To measure how fast glucose (the body’s fuel) is being used, a tracer (radioactive glucose) is injected into the body and scanned with a positron emission tomography (PET) machine. The PET machine detects how fast the glucose is being used. If it is being used up faster in certain places, it may indicate the presence of a cancerous tumor.
Tests for Colon/Colorectal Cancer
• Hemmoccult Test for colon/colorectal cancer tests for blood in the stool. A positive finding warrants having further tests, like a colonscopy or sigmoidoscopy to detect polyps and colon cancer tumors. This test can be performed by almost any doctor’s office.
• PreGen-26 – is a new DNA test for colon/colorectal cancer. It is a test to detect the presence of actual disease in people with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). In active colon/colorectal cancer, DNA from cancer tumors is shed into the colon and carried out of the body in stool.
• Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) – is a cancer marker to screen for colon/colorectal cancer – it is associated with digestive tract cancers. It is recommended for those with frequent constipation, diarrhea or bleeding piles for an initial diagnostic tool.
Tests for Lung Cancer
• Sputum cytology – the microscopic examination of cells obtained from a deep-cough sample of mucus in the lungs can help determine if tests for lung cancer may be required. Ask your doctor about the Lung Cancer Alert test.
• PET Scans can also be done for detecting lung cancer. This test may be able to replace the need for a biopsy. PET scans appear to use less radiation than many CT scans and may provide a more complete cancer diagnosis.
Tests for Prostate Cancer
• Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) – the DRE checks the prostate gland for any bumps or abnormalities. Since this only checks the back of the prostate, it must be used with other tests for prostate cancer detection.
• Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) – Prostate Specific Antigen may help detect prostate cancer early. PSA is a substance made only by the prostate. An elevated level may indicate cancer before the tumor is large enough to raise a bump that a doctor can feel during check up.
• Beckman Coulter’s Hybritech free PSA test – this test is able to more accurately distinguish prostate cancer from benign prostatic conditions. Free PSA can tell patients and physicians how aggressive the cancer is and advise the latter for the best treatment for cancer. This is measurable through a simple blood test.
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Detoxification’s Role in Cancer Prevention and Treatment of Cancer
Alarming facts: in 1996 more Americans died of cancer than in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War combined, with over 550, 000 cancer deaths among Americans. In 2002, more than 1.25 million Americans had received a cancer diagnosis and the number continues to grow. Cancer death happens every minute.
In the early 1900’s, there was very little cancer. It used to be that children rarely got cancer. Today cancer is striking children at ever younger ages and cancer has even become the leading disease cause of death for children. Today there is an abundance of cancer. Now there’s colon cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, etc. And each cancer type more aggressive and deadlier than the other.
Detoxification plays an important role in cancer prevention and treatment of cancer. In the US alone, 77% of all new cancer cases are found in people over the age of 55. Doctors believe that this number is attributed to constant building of toxins in our bodies, starting from before our birth. A 2005 study found 287 industrial chemicals in the umbilical cord of newborns and 180 of those chemicals have been known to cause cancer.
A compilation of toxins are held in our bodies and the effect of this slow heavy metal poisoning disturbs our body’s functions, namely our pH balance. pH balance has a direct correlation to the occurrence of cancerous cells. Cancer cells thrive in an acidic environment and heavy metal poisoning pushes the body toward acidosis. A cancer diet alone will not bring someone to a balanced or alkaline state. You have to remove the toxins that are modifying our body’s pH to the acidic side of the scale where cancer thrives and grows. It is hard to get a balanced state without detoxification because we are loaded with toxins and exposed to even more toxins everyday. Detoxification is a way of resetting the scale.
Cancer can be viewed as a toxic condition and with cancer statistics growing each year and the age of people getting the cancer disease becoming younger and younger achieving holistic health has become a top priority in our lives. Any attempts at detoxifying the body will benefit anyone who is either on a cancer prevention mindset or someone who’s already in treatment for cancer since detoxification is considered to be one of the standard non-harmful cancer therapies used by cancer patients who have been successful in healing cancer. It is considered by many experts also as an alternative medicine for treatment of cancer.
Detox Steps for Cancer Prevention and Treatment of Cancer
Cancer prevention and treatment of cancer step 1:Cancer diet detox.
This means adjusting one’s dietary habits to a regimen that eliminates the toxins faster than they accumulate. This will allow a progressive normalization that will keep the body’s metabolism in a state of natural equilibrium, a balance that is needed to prevent cancer from growing. The cancer diet detox means cutting out or keeping to a minimum all toxin-containing foods, drugs and drinks. The cancer diet detox also means avoiding refined and devitalized foods more or less devoid of nutrition such as sugar, white flour and canned food.
Cancer prevention and treatment of cancer detoxification step 2: Get rid of cancer-causing toxins.
Shun cancer-causing toxins and do without as many man-made chemicals as possible – use truly ecological and natural products instead. Avoid chemical toxins such as conventional household cleaners, dish washing liquids, detergents, chemical-based cosmetics & hair dyes, drugs and fumes, smog and smoke.
Ingest and use only natural foods, truly natural products for body care and herbal preparations to use only traditional or basic recipes such as oatmeal scrubs, sea salt/baking soda for tooth brushing and gargling.
Get rid of mercury amalgam fillings, aluminum pots and pans and other sources of heavy metal poisoning.
Cancer prevention and treatment of cancer detoxification Step 3:Do kidney, liver and colon cleansing.
The body’s main detoxifiers are said to be the kidneys and the liver, the former excreting waste products through urine, and the liver breaking down alcohol, pesticides and other chemicals and shunting them out via the intestines, particularly the colon as well as the skin. Proper functioning of the liver’s and kidneys detoxification systems is especially important for cancer prevention.
There are various ways to cleanse these vital organs of possible cancer-causing toxins. One way is going on a cancer diet detox, which means eating natural foods which are good for cleansing body. There are also various health supplements that one can buy from health food stores such as chlorophyll drinks. Various detox supplements are also out in the market today. One of these detoxification supplements that has a record of pulling out heavy metals and cancer causing toxins with no healing crisis or any other side effects is the zeolite powder.
Cancer prevention and treatment of cancer detoxification Step 4:Get Some Sun
Cancer researches have shown that too much sunlight can bring about a type of cancer called skin cancer. But as far as cancer deaths go, skin cancers cause only nine percent of the deaths every year and organ and internal cancers ninety one percent. Survival rate from skin cancer is also good – about ninety five percent of sufferers live for five years or more after their cancer diagnosis.
But cancer research studies have also shown that a good exposure to sunlight is another natural treatment for cancer. It is considered the ultimate detoxifier. Cancer research experiments done by Russians showed that animals exposed to the correct doses of sunlight were capable of clearing a wide range of cancer-causing toxins out of their system considerably quicker than those that lacked sun exposure. They found that sunlight speeds up the clearance of cancer-causing toxins from the body twice to as much as twenty times. The best effect was obtained when sunlight exposure had started some time before exposure to the toxin.
Cancer prevention and treatment of cancer detoxification step 5: The Juice Fast
Pure water or juice fasting may not be recommended for healing cancer or cancer patients as well as for people holding lots of stored environmental toxins in their tissues due to their great need of nutrients to help neutralize and flush out these cancer causing toxins. But one particularly effective way to fast and internally cleanse while on treatment of cancer is the “Master Cleanser” formula, developed and thoroughly researched by Stanley Burroughs. The Master Cleanser allows one to efficiently detoxify without incurring significant energy loss or discomfort and is simultaneously used to heal cancer and prevent cancer.
Make sure to detoxify regularly to avoid build up of the toxins that cause different types of cancer such as colon cancer and kidney cancer. Cancer prevention or treatment of cancer disease is a five step process in achieving holistic health. It must not be forgotten that detoxification is actually just one part of the cancer prevention program. In order for one to truly effectively cure cancer or lower your cancer risk, it’s also important to have a healthy diet that helps prevent cancer, do exercise, keep a positive mindset and also have various cancer related tests done.
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