The expert named a way to detect cancer in women early

The growing number of malignant neoplasms of the female reproductive system is particularly alarming. They account for about half of all cancers in women. On April 3, Anna Marchenko, MD, obstetrician-gynecologist, chief physician of the Dr. ANNA family clinic, told Izvestia how to reduce cancer risks.

As the doctor noted, breast cancer is one of the ten most common cancers, and cervical cancer ranks fourth among female cancers. At the same time, according to the expert, these diseases continue to "get younger" — they are increasingly being diagnosed in women of an earlier age.

The main problem, according to Marchenko, is that in the early stages, cancer is often asymptomatic or disguised as other diseases. As a result, tumors are detected too late when treatment becomes less effective.

"It is impossible to fully protect yourself from the development of cancer of the female reproductive system, but you can try to reduce cancer risks and identify cancer at an early stage in order to carry out effective treatment," the doctor noted.

Onco feels: breast cancer therapy will be selected by a single test

How the new technology will speed up the process of choosing a treatment strategy and reduce the burden on patients

As a solution, the specialist recommends regular checkups, especially for women over 40 and those who have had cases of cancer in their family.

"Recently, Russian medical institutions have introduced an innovative test for detecting early stages of cancer by determining the level of the cancer marker CA-62 in the blood. This is a relatively new approach that has already proven effective in international practice," Marchenko said.

She noted that there are many cancer markers now, but tests to determine most of them are ineffective, since they begin to be released into the blood already when the tumor process is in the late stages. The cancer marker CA-62 is formed on the surface of malignant cells from the very beginning of tumor growth, so there is a chance to detect a neoplasm when treatment is still effective.

However, the doctor stressed that a positive test result is not a diagnosis. It only serves as a signal for a more detailed examination.

The expert recommends that women over the age of 40 include the CA-62 test in their annual preventive check-up along with mammography and cytological examination of the cervix. According to Marchenko, this practice can significantly increase the chances of early detection and successful treatment of cancer.

Earlier, on March 18, Yulia Vakhabova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, clinical oncologist at the European Medical Center (EMC), told Izvestia about the prevention of colorectal cancer. According to her, minimizing the risk of colorectal cancer allows, first of all, a healthy lifestyle, which includes sports 2-3 times a week and a balanced diet.