Occasionally a patient will come for a visit during discussion and ask that we run a specific blood or diagnostic test. Sometimes it's just a matter of curiosity ("what my blood type is?"), other times it's because you have a friend or want and check for them - although it was difficult to understand how with a friend who diagnosed as diabetes presents risk this patient relatives who recently with a disease diagnosed and you. The test you ask, we usually healthy adults as part of health screening check one is more often.
It seems that more and more we are beginning to get a request for a blood test that is not part of our usual screening. If enough patients start, questions for the test, one wonders where you is your information, or what has thrown this special interest. Sometimes it is an article in the local newspaper or a late night news story. It seems more often a popular TV show host countries - calls actually - that patients see your doctor immediately and ask to have this test. In this context the a blood test asked for often female patients is the CA 125 from the country coming oz.
CA-125 is a protein secreted by abnormal ovarian cancer cells. The CA 125 test can be extremely high in a woman with advanced ovarian cancer. When patients have been diagnosed and treated for ovarian cancer, the CA 125 test is helpful in determining whether there has been a recurrence of the disease.
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are maddeningly unspecific: the patient can complaints about feeling fully fast or have difficulty eating and digest food. You feel occasional pain in the abdomen or have generalized bloating; Harn frequency or the urgent need to urinate may be another sign. Constipation, back pain, fatigue and pain with intercourse are other symptoms that can occur in patients with ovarian cancer. As you can imagine, Frau ohne ovarian cancer can have these symptoms and as ovarian cancer is still quite rare - the CDC estimated 22,000 cases in 2010 - we tend to check first for other causes.
The CA 125 test is not specific to ovarian cancer: other diagnostics that can cause CA-125-prioritized endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, pregnancy, heart failure, diabetes, kidney disease, lupus and post-operative patients are. Although the CA 125 test in the following patients with ovarian cancer is useful to diagnose cancer approved it never as a screening test for Possibleovarian. As we discussed can test in a patient without their potentially subject of the disease, the patient even further and potentially harmful diagnostic tests are raised.
So what is a knowledgeable patient to do? Certainly always questions, whether a specific test is for your condition. We ask what next if the test is not normal, or normal and how likely it would would be should you might have this disease. Understand that the medicine is changing and what is today style out tomorrow or vice versa can be. We can what others say or as a way to discuss, which concern's to advise you about your health. Just keep in mind that made it difficult to hear on the grapevine or on television, usually only which is half the truth. Working with your doctor, you can give the true picture.
Steve p. Sanders, DO, MBA, FACOI, FACPE was formerly Chief Medical Officer for Carondelet health system in Kansas City, MO with responsibility for medical management, quality initiatives, on-site training, long-term care initiatives and patient safety for St. Joseph Medical Center and St. Mary's Medical Center. Clinically, Dr. Sanders now deployment as a traditional specialist in internal medicine outpatient medical care and hospital services for patients aged 16 and over, is. He continues to problems in medicine and promoting patient-centered healthcare to write value.
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