Specialized Cancer Tests
There are a number of specialized cancer tests that are used to diagnose cancer or to measure the responsive of cancer to treatment.
Tumor Markers and Metabolic Testing for Malignancy
Tumor markers are the expressions of malignancy on a cell. Like a red flag on a traditional mailbox, they are communicating something about that cell which is determined to be abnormal. Many tests are available now to determine what tumor markers are expressed in a blood or an actual cancer tissue removed in surgery (located on the cell surface or genetically). However, there are not many reliable tumor markers when it comes to determining a response to therapy. An example of a reliable tumor marker with a validated and predictable therapeutic response to treatment with with the drug Herceptin for Her-2/neu receptor expression in breast cancer.
