Affiliations: Saint James School of Medicine, Anguilla, British West
Indies | Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine,
Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
Note: [] Corresponding author: Amitabha Ray, M.D., Faculty of Basic
Sciences, Saint James School of Medicine, Albert Lake Drive, the Quarter A-1
2640, Anguilla, British West Indies. Tel.: +1 264 583 4860; Fax: +1 264 497
5125; E-mail: amitraym@rediffmail.com
Abstract: Early diagnosis of cancer clearly reduces morbidity and mortality,
and a sizable number of cancers could be prevented at the secondary level with
appropriate diagnostic tools. In early detection, biochemical analyses are
highly supportive of the cytological and/or histopathological assessments.
Among children, cancers probably originate from altered signaling pathways
attributable to developmental genetic disorders. In adults, generally
preventable risk factors, e.g., cigarette smoking, infections, unhealthy
lifestyle and obesity, create a state of inflammation and associated oxidative
imbalance, which may progress to malignancy. Pathological mechanisms of cancer
are associated with abnormal expressions of various endogenous molecules that
can be used as tumor biomarkers. Evaluation of such markers in different phases
along the disease course plays a crucial role in clinical management and
prognosis. Definitely, the current trend of active research on neoplastic
mechanisms will help the clinical biochemistry laboratories to provide a better service.
