Re: CA 125 Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer

[Guest guest]

Milinda, I felt I had to write in because I have had a tough time finding

out what was wrong with me.

Your question, what is the best test to find out if you have cancer, brings

up alot of dis ease for me.

The fact is that it depends on the cancer, and if you don`t know that you

have cancer, how do you or your doctor know which test is best.

I have lymphoma, this cancer is NOT detected in any blood test or any other

way than a tissue sample. ( biopsey) An abnormal growth can sometimes be

seen but not always on the surface and to the eye. CT scans can find inner

cancer tumors if in fact you have a tumor.

Not all cancers produce tumors.

There is no one answer to that. If you are having symptoms that suggest a

particular type of cancer your doctor is the best judge of the tests acuracy.

I know that in all cancer diagnosis, a biopsey of some sort is performed to

determine that exact cells that are malignant. To know how to direct your

doctor, my responce to that would be find another doctor. Your doctor should

always take every nessisary step to ensure your good health.

Jules

[Guest guest]

I've seen the story before but noone has ever checked for its accuracy.

What I would like to know is what is the best test for a person to identify

if they have cancer? AMAS? If so, what is its accuracy?

Thanks,

Melinda Wiman

[Guest guest]

I assume you do not know the " person " who wrote it.

I believe this story is an example of the irresponsible scare tactics used

by the cancer diagnostic and treatment industry to get everyone and anyone

tested and mammogrammed and even to have " preventive " surgeries on healthy

organs to help the cause of promoting women's healtcare rights. THE RIGHT TO

OVER-TREATMENT and more likely premature suffering and even death.

Arnold Gore

Consumers Health Freedom Coalition

CA 125 Test for Ovarian Cancer

>

> This is Kathy's Story:

>

> As all of you know, I have Primary Peritoneal Cancer.

> This cancer has only recently been identified as its OWN type of

> cancer; but it is essentially Ovarian Cancer.

> Both types of cancer are diagnosed in the same way with the " tumor

> marker " CA-125 blood test, and they are treated in the same

> way (surgery to remove the primary tumor and then chemotherapy with

> Taxol and Carboplatin).

>

> Having gone through this ordeal, I want to save others from the

> same fate. That is why I am sending this message to you and hope

> you

> will print it and give it or send it via e-mail to everybody you

> know. One

> thing I have learned is that each of us must take TOTAL

> responsibility for

> our

>

> own health care. I thought I had done that because I always had an

> annual physical had my annual and PAP smear, did monthly Self-Breast

> Exam,

> went to the dentist at least twice/year, etc. I even insisted on a

> sigmoidoscopy and a bone density test last year. When I had a

> total hysterectomy in 1993, I thought that I did not have to worry

> about getting any of the female reproductive organ cancers. LITTLE

> DID I

> KNOW!

>

> I don't have ovaries (and they were HEALTHY when they were

> removed),

> but

>

> I have what is essentially ovarian cancer. Strange, isn't it?

> These are just SOME of the things our Doctors never tell us.

>

> ONE out of every 55 women will get OVARIAN or PRIMARY PERITONEAL

> CANCER!

>

> The " CLASSIC " symptoms are an ABDOMEN that rather SUDDENLY ENLARGES

> and CONSTIPATION and/or DIARRHEA. I had these classic symptoms and

> went

> to the Doctor. Because these symptoms seemed to be " abdominal, " I went

> to a gastroenterologist. He ran tests that were designed to determine

> whether there was a bacterial infection; these tests were negative,

> and I was

> diagnosed with " Irritable Bowel Syndrome. "

>

> I guess I would have accepted this diagnosis had it not been for my

> enlarged abdomen. I swear to you, it looked like I was 4-5 months

> pregnant!

>

> I therefore insisted on more tests. They took an X-ray of my

> abdomen;

> it was negative. I was again assured that I had Irritable Bowel

> Syndrome and was encouraged to go on my scheduled month-long trip

> to Europe.

>

> I couldn't wear any of my slacks or shorts because I couldn't get

> them buttoned, and I KNEW something was radically wrong. I INSISTED

> on more tests,

> and they (reluctantly) scheduled me for a CT-Scan (just to shut me

> up, I

> think).

>

> This is what I mean by taking charge of our own health care. The

> CT-Scan showed a lot of fluid in my abdomen (NOT normal). Needless

> to

> say, I had to cancel my trip and have FIVE POUNDS of fluid drawn off

> at the

> hospital (not a pleasant procedure, I assure you but NOTHING

> compared to what

> was ahead of me).

>

> Tests revealed cancer cells in the fluid. Finally, finally,

> finally,

> the Doctor ran a CA-125 blood test and I was properly diagnosed.

>

> I HAD THE CLASSIC SYMPTOMS FOR OVARIAN CANCER AND YET THIS SIMPLE

> CA-125

>

> BLOOD TEST HAD NEVER BEEN RUN ON ME, NOT AS PART OF MY ANNUAL

> PHYSICAL EXAM AND NOT WHEN I WAS SYMPTOMATIC. THIS IS AN INEXPENSIVE

> AND SIMPLE BLOOD TEST!!!

>

> PLEASE, PLEASE, P-L-E-A-S-E TELL ALL YOUR FEMALE FRIENDS

> AND RELATIVES TO INSIST ON A CA-125 BLOOD TEST EVERY

> YEAR AS PART OF THEIR ANNUAL PHYSICAL EXAMS. BE

> FOREWARNED THAT THEIR DOCTORS MIGHT TRY TO TALK THEM

> OUT OF IT, SAYING " IT ISN'T NECESSARY. " BELIEVE ME, HAD I

> KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW, WE WOULD HAVE CAUGHT

> MY CANCER MUCH EARLIER (BEFORE IT WAS A STAGE 3 CANCER)!

>

> INSIST ON THE CA-125 BLOOD TEST; DON'T TAKE " NO " FOR

> AN ANSWER. THE NORMAL RANGE FOR A CA-125 BLOOD

> TEST IS BETWEEN ZERO AND 35. MINE WAS 754... (THAT'S

> RIGHT, 754!) IF THE NUMBER IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE 35, YOU CAN

> HAVE ANOTHER ONE DONE IN THREE OR SIX MONTHS AND

> KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON IT, JUST LIKE WOMEN DO WHEN THEY

> HAVE FIBROID TUMORS OR WHEN MEN HAVE A SLIGHTLY

> ELEVATED PSA TEST (Prostrate SPECIFIC ANTIGENS)

> THAT HELPS DIAGNOSE PROSTATE CANCER. HAVING THE CA-125

> TEST DONE ANNUALLY CAN ALERT YOU EARLY, AND THAT'S THE

> GOAL IN DIAGNOSING ANY TYPE OF CANCER - CATCH IT

> EARLY!!!!!

>

> I hope I haven't bored you with all of this.

> But I hope I HAVE scared you enough to motivate you to action.

> Do YOU know 55 women? If so, at least one of them will have

> this VERY AGGRESSIVE cancer - and maybe, just maybe, it

> will be YOU. I hope not!

>

> Please, go to your doctor THIS WEEK and insist on a

> CA-125 test and have one EVERY YEAR for the rest of your life.

>

> And forward this message to every woman you know and tell all of

> your female family members and friends. As the Nike ads say,

> " JUST DO IT! " Please don't think youth will protect you, either.

>

> Though the median age for this cancer is 56

> (and, guess what, I'm exactly 56), women as young as 22 have it.

> Age is not a factor.

>

> Note from :

>

> I have a coworker whose mother did not survive this cancer. She

> repeatedly requested a CA-125 blood test when her troubles first

> started. But

> like the lady in this e-mail, her doctor refused, saying that it was

> something else besides her ovaries.

>

> Don't look at this as a morbid subject.

> Consider this as a wake-up call for our health.

> If G. Komen's sister had not been so persistent, we would not

> have mammograms.

>

> Well, after these two incidents, I made some calls. I found that

> the

> CA-125 test is an ovarian screening test equivalent to a man's PSA

> test

> prostrate screening (which Ron's doctor automatically gives him in

> his physical

> each year and insurance pays for). I called my general

> practitioner's

> office about having the test done. The nurse had never heard of

> it. She told me

> that she doubted that insurance would pay for it. So I called

> Prudential

> Insurance Co., and got the same response. Never heard of it - it

> won't be covered. I

> explained that it was the same as the PSA test that they had paid

> for my

> husband for years. After conferring with whomever they confer with,

> she told me that the CA-125 test would be covered.

>

> So I am having this blood test this Friday. For those of you that

> still have these parts, go have the test taken. It is $75 in a GP's

> office and $125 at the GYN's. This a screening test that should be

> required

> just like a pap smear (a pap smear cannot detect problems with your

> ovaries).

>

> And you must insist that your insurance company pay for it. Like

> the

> lady said, we must take care of our own health. Who knows your

> body better

> than you?

>

> This is what Gilda Radner had (Saturday Night Live..remember? Gene

> Wilder and Pierce Brosnan (his wife had it, too) are lobbying for

> women's

> health issues saying that this test should be required in our

> physicals just

> like the pap and the mammogram.

>

> Pass this information along to every woman you know.

> I am making lots and lots of copies for all the ladies at work.

> We need to take care of ourselves!!!!!!!!

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Get HUGE info at http://www.cures for cancer.ws, and post your own links there.

Unsubscribe by sending email to cures for cancer-unsubscribeegroups or by

visiting http://www.bobhurt.com/subunsub.mv

>

>

[Guest guest]

According to Dr. s' newsletter Second Opinion ,July

1999 If the AMAS test is run twice the false positivity and false negativity

rates are less than 1%.each way. The accuracy drops off if the blood is not

fresh.

Arnold Gore

Consumers Health Freedom Coalition

Re: CA 125 Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer

> I've seen the story before but noone has ever checked for its accuracy.

>

> What I would like to know is what is the best test for a person to

identify

> if they have cancer? AMAS? If so, what is its accuracy?

>

> Thanks,

> Melinda Wiman

>

>

>

> Get HUGE info at http://www.cures for cancer.ws, and post your own links there.

Unsubscribe by sending email to cures for cancer-unsubscribeegroups or by

visiting http://www.bobhurt.com/subunsub.mv

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jules,

The AMAS test has been used for lymphoma-it is a blood test.If you want more

information contact Oncolab,Inc. tel.800-9CA-TEST or 617-536-0850.

Arnold Gore

Consumers Health Fredom Coalition

Re: CA 125 Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer

> Milinda, I felt I had to write in because I have had a tough time

finding

> out what was wrong with me.

>

> Your question, what is the best test to find out if you have cancer,

brings

> up alot of dis ease for me.

> The fact is that it depends on the cancer, and if you don`t know that you

> have cancer, how do you or your doctor know which test is best.

> I have lymphoma, this cancer is NOT detected in any blood test or any

other

> way than a tissue sample. ( biopsey) An abnormal growth can sometimes be

> seen but not always on the surface and to the eye. CT scans can find inner

> cancer tumors if in fact you have a tumor.

> Not all cancers produce tumors.

> There is no one answer to that. If you are having symptoms that suggest a

> particular type of cancer your doctor is the best judge of the tests

acuracy.

> I know that in all cancer diagnosis, a biopsey of some sort is performed

to

> determine that exact cells that are malignant. To know how to direct your

> doctor, my responce to that would be find another doctor. Your doctor

should

> always take every nessisary step to ensure your good health.

>

> Jules

>

> Get HUGE info at http://www.cures for cancer.ws, and post your own links there.

Unsubscribe by sending email to cures for cancer-unsubscribeegroups or by

visiting http://www.bobhurt.com/subunsub.mv

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I'm new to your list. I caught your question and remembered some info I have

on this subject. Hope this helps. Jaci

The AMAS Test (Anti-Malignin Antibody in Serum)

by D. Edelston, M.D.

In 1974, Dr. Bogash (MD, Ph.D.) discovered a new antigen located on

all cancer cells. He and his researcher / wife, Eleanor Bogash, MD,

founded Oncolab to do this test for research and later clinical purposes.

Dr. Bogash is a Harvard-trained research neurochemist. He discovered that

the outer coating on cancer cells contain sugar molecules over an inner

layer of protein (glycoproteins). Cancer cells bump into each other and

the outer layer is ground off-exposing the inner protein layer and the

malignin antigen.

It took Drs. Bogash seven years to determine that the antigen was on all

cancer cells, not just brain cancer which they were originally studying.

Due to cell recognition, our immune system spots Malignin. When it sees

this foreign protein it produces antibodies to destroy it-Anti-malignin

antibodies. This is what is measured in the study; it is our body's

defense against cancer. By 1988, Dr. Bogash showed that the anti-malignin

antibody killed cancer cells in the test tube.

Greater than 95% of patients with cancer have AMAS levels above 135. AMAS

levels below 135 are seen in normal individuals who do not have cancer.

Sometimes there is doubt about the test (borderline numbers) and at these

times the test needs to be repeated and followed up at certain intervals.

Normal levels of AMAS are seen in successfully treated cancer patients and

in patients who never had cancer. Cases of advanced or terminal cancer may

also have normal levels or even very low normal. The clinical status of

the patient must be correlated with the AMAS test result.

The test is patented and the FDA has approved it. The test is available

for use in several areas related to cancer:

1.Cancer Screening Test. Today a check-up in your physician's office

includes a history, a physical examination and selected laboratory tests

aimed at detecting potential problems including cancer. It will now

include an AMAS test, and thus might defer using a chest X-ray,

proctoscope, CT scan, pap smear, and even mammography. These cancer

screens will not be needed unless the AMAS test is abnormal.

2.A Cancer Monitoring Test. After cancer has been treated both the patient

and the doctor want to know if the cancer has been cured or if some

malignant cells are still in the body. The AMAS test can answer this

dilemma. If there is cancer present, the AMAS test remains elevated.

3.In Differential Diagnosis. At times a shadow on a chest X-ray or a spot

in the liver or kidney on a CT scan are suspicious for cancer and only a

biopsy can tell. That is an invasive procedure. The AMAS test can tell you

if the tissue is malignant. If the AMAS is normal, the lesion in question

is not a cancer.

To date, over 1000 patients with breast cancer have been studied using the

AMAS test. It has been used to tell if the cancer has been cured. New data

suggests that the breast cancer cannot be said to be in remission unless

the AMAS test returns to normal. AMAS has found breast cancer as small as

a pencil dot long before a mammogram can show it.

The AMAS detects all common cancers and the uncommon ones too. Studies on

more than 6000 patients show the sensitivity of AMAS to be greater than

95%. The false positive rate and false negative rates are about 1% of the

total, making the specificity about 99%.

Contact info for those interested:

Oncolab

36 The Fenway

Boston, MA 02215

Tel = 800 922- 8378

Re: CA 125 Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer

I've seen the story before but noone has ever checked for its accuracy.

What I would like to know is what is the best test for a person to identify

if they have cancer? AMAS? If so, what is its accuracy?

Thanks,

Melinda Wiman

Get HUGE info at http://www.cures for cancer.ws, and post your own links there.

Unsubscribe by sending email to cures for cancer-unsubscribeegroups or by

visiting http://www.bobhurt.com/subunsub.mv

[Guest guest]

Thank you. That was the information I was looking for on AMAS.

I have someone who actually wants to be able to pinpoint where in the body

the cancer is once AMAS determines there is cancer somewhere in the body.

What recommendations do people have?

Thanks,

Melinda Wiman

[Guest guest]

It's supposed to be 99% accurate but we know of 3 incidents where it was not

accurate. However, the conditions of the test are so stringent, it appears

that it would be easy to error.

Kay Heizer

Re: CA 125 Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer

> I've seen the story before but noone has ever checked for its accuracy.

>

> What I would like to know is what is the best test for a person to

identify

> if they have cancer? AMAS? If so, what is its accuracy?

>

> Thanks,

> Melinda Wiman

>

>

>

> Get HUGE info at http://www.cures for cancer.ws, and post your own links there.

Unsubscribe by sending email to cures for cancer-unsubscribeegroups or by

visiting http://www.bobhurt.com/subunsub.mv

>

>

[Guest guest]

A radiologist told me recently that there is a test where sugar is injected

into the body & it will tell exactly where the cancer is, since cancer feeds

on sugar. It didn't ask what the name of the test is, however.

Kay Heizer

Re: CA 125 Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer

> Thank you. That was the information I was looking for on AMAS.

>

> I have someone who actually wants to be able to pinpoint where in the body

> the cancer is once AMAS determines there is cancer somewhere in the body.

> What recommendations do people have?

>

> Thanks,

> Melinda Wiman

>

>

>

>

> Get HUGE info at http://www.cures for cancer.ws, and post your own links there.

Unsubscribe by sending email to cures for cancer-unsubscribeegroups or by

visiting http://www.bobhurt.com/subunsub.mv

>

>

[Guest guest]

Write Dr. at http://www..net . She can pinpoint the

exact location of many cancers

Joy

--------------------------------------------------------------------

>

>A radiologist told me recently that there is a test where sugar is injected

>into the body & it will tell exactly where the cancer is, since cancer feeds

>on sugar. It didn't ask what the name of the test is, however.

>Kay Heizer

>

> Re: CA 125 Blood Test for Ovarian Cancer

>

>

>> Thank you. That was the information I was looking for on AMAS.

>>

>> I have someone who actually wants to be able to pinpoint where in the body

>> the cancer is once AMAS determines there is cancer somewhere in the body.

>> What recommendations do people have?

>>

>> Thanks,

>> Melinda Wiman