J Health Care Technol. 1985 Fall;2(2):105-28.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the Western world, exceeded only by cardiovascular disease. Twenty percent of American deaths result from the spectrum of diseases known as cancer. Strategies to decrease cancer mortality include prevention, early detection, a wide variety of therapies, and more effective monitoring of treatment. This assessment focuses on the clinical laboratory aspects of two such strategies--early cancer diagnosis and development of more effective cancer therapy. Laboratory detection of tumor markers helps to confirm the diagnosis early, allowing treatment to begin when the disease is most amenable to therapy. Tumor markers, the specific biochemical substances synthesized by cancer cells, can be measured in body fluids by common laboratory test methods. Laboratory detection and monitoring of tumor marker levels are being used increasingly with growing effectiveness in the campaign against cancer.
癌症是西方世界第二大致死原因，仅次于心血管疾病。在美国，20%的死亡是由癌症这一系列疾病导致的。降低癌症死亡率的策略包括预防、早期检测、多种治疗方法以及更有效的治疗监测。本评估聚焦于其中两种策略的临床实验室方面——早期癌症诊断和开发更有效的癌症治疗方法。肿瘤标志物的实验室检测有助于早期确诊，使治疗能在疾病最适合治疗时开始。肿瘤标志物是癌细胞合成的特定生化物质，可通过常规实验室检测方法在体液中进行测量。在抗癌行动中，肿瘤标志物水平的实验室检测和监测正越来越多地被使用，且效果不断增强。
