Typically, a needle biopsy of the prostate gland is needed to determine if a man has prostate cancer. Additionally, a colonoscopy helps to confirm the presence of colon cancer. Researchers in Egypt were successful in confirming cancers using blood and saliva samples.
Colon Cancer Detection
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353674. A colonoscopy is used to examine the inside of the colon. A camera is attached to a thin tube and inserted into your rectum. Suspicious areas can be removed for further analysis.
At the Alexandria University Medical Research Institute in Egypt, scientists developed a blood test linked to inflammation. Four biomarkers were used to determine if a person had colon cancer. Around three dozen patients with colon cancer and just over fifty healthy patients without colon cancer were tested.
Specific proteins were observed in those patients with colon cancer. This test outperformed the fecal blood test currently used for cancer detection in the colon. Combining both the fecal blood test and the blood biomarker test, the detection of colon cancer can be done very reliably and quickly.
Prostate Cancer Detection
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html. Current screening for prostate cancer is done with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. Another way to detect prostate cancer is with a digital rectal exam (DRE). The doctor feels the prostate gland for abnormalities. Both tests can lead to false positives and false negatives, which may require a prostate gland biopsy.
The new test examined the saliva of nearly two hundred men between the ages of 45 and 50. Sixty had previously been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and another sixty had an enlarged prostate. The remaining men were healthy with no prostate issues. The test looked for eight RNA samples and accurately placed each man into cancer, enlarged prostate, and no cancer groups.
New Tests
https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/cancer-prostate-colon-blood/2021/09/29/id/1038412/. The accuracy of both testing protocols was stellar. The group size was small, and additional testing needs to be done on larger groups to prove the concept entirely. https://www.aacc.org/media/press-release-archive/2021/09-sep/noninvasive-colon-prostate-cancer-tests-presented-at-the-2021-aacc-annual-scientific-meeting provides more details on the testing.
The blood and saliva protocols require no invasive (needle biopsy and colonoscopy) testing.
Conclusion
A little over a dozen men out of a hundred will develop prostate cancer, with two or three of them dying from it. For males, colon cancer affects just under five percent and around four percent for women. Half of the people with colon cancer are under 66 years of age. The survival rate depends on many factors, and the statistics are pretty good (90%) after five years.
My father had prostate cancer, and it was detected when he was almost 80 years of age. He had it removed and was in good health for a while until he started having other health issues.
Inflammation is the genesis of nearly every disease. The CRP (c-reactive protein) blood test detects whole-body inflammation. I get one every year as part of my annual physical. It is rarely above 0.25 mg/L, and the closer to zero you have, the better – low or non-existent levels of inflammation.
If you are not getting a CRP test annually, talk to your doctor about it. Insurance covers it most of the time. Otherwise, local laboratories can offer the CRP test for generally under $20.00.
Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com