title: [Importance of early detection of metastases? Impact on survival and quality of life].
abstract: Does early detection of metastasis have an impact on survival and quality of life? This question cannot yet be clearly answered even with respect to breast cancer, the most common tumor found in women and for which high levels of marker CA 15-3 is a relatively reliable indication of metastasis. CA 15-3 is an efficient marker that provides clinicians with a means to detect clinical or radiological signs of breast cancer metastases. There is not yet sound evidence that treating such metastases a few months earlier is useful, but potential advantages of early treatment have also not been disproven. CA 15-3 is still of great economic interest as a reference for post-therapeutic follow-up, since the number of medical imaging tests is reduced, with further testing only required if high levels of this marker are detected.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer, Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pujol
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000032:analysis*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis; D011788:Quality of Life; D015996:Survival Rate; D013577:Syndrome; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018396:Mucin-1