Cancer, a distorted disease, ruthlessly claims countless lives every year. Despite the rapid development of medical technology, people are still faced with an unanswerable question: why is the cancer already at an advanced stage when it is found in a physical examination every year? This article will take you through the mystery of medical check-ups and explore the reasons behind this phenomenon.
1. Physical examination is not a panacea
First of all, we need to be clear: medical checkups are not a panacea. The limitations of physical examination items and methods are one of the main reasons for late detection of cancer. Routine physical examinations usually include basic items such as height, weight, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, blood routine, and urine routine, which are difficult to detect early cancer. For example, there may be no specific symptoms in the early stages of cancer, and routine blood tests often fail to capture abnormal markers; Visceral cancers such as liver cancer and stomach cancer are difficult to detect by simple ultrasound examination at an early stage.
2. Inaccuracy of tumor markers
Tumor markers are substances that reflect the presence of tumors, but their test results often appear false positives or false negatives during actual physical examinations. This means that even if the tumor marker test result is normal, the possibility of a tumor in the body cannot be completely ruled out. At the same time, some benign diseases may also lead to mildly elevated tumor markers, making it difficult to diagnose.
3. Individual differences and insidious tumor growth
Everyone's body condition and how tumors grow differently. Some tumors may not cause noticeable symptoms as they grow in the body, or they may be mild and subtle. By the time of the physical examination, the tumor may have grown to a considerable size, leading to an advanced stage that is not detected.
4. Ignoring atypical symptoms
People may experience various uncomfortable symptoms in their daily life, such as persistent low-grade fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, etc. These symptoms can be related to cancer, but are often overlooked or mistaken for other common diseases. If you don't see a doctor in time and tell your doctor about your medical experience, it can lead to a delay in the diagnosis of cancer.
5. Insufficient awareness of health literacy and prevention
People's health literacy and awareness of prevention play a crucial role in cancer prevention and control. Lack of understanding of the early symptoms of cancer, incorrect interpretation of the results of medical examinations, and being overly optimistic about one's own health can all contribute to delayed cancer detection. At the same time, the "fear of cancer" in society may also affect people's perception and attitude towards cancer, resulting in reluctance or reluctance to undergo further in-depth examination even if abnormal indicators are found in the physical examination.
How should we deal with the dilemma of finding that cancer is still at an advanced stage in annual physical examinations?
6. Improve the awareness and frequency of physical examinations
Strengthen the public's awareness of the importance of physical examinations and increase the frequency of physical examinations. Individualized physical examination plans should be developed for different age groups and different risk groups to achieve early screening and prevention. For example, for high-risk groups such as long-term smoking and alcoholism, detailed examinations of the lungs, liver, and other parts should be added.
7. Adopt advanced physical examination technology
Actively introduce and apply advanced physical examination techniques, such as low-dose spiral CT, endoscopic technology, nuclear magnetic resonance, etc., to improve the detection rate of cancer. At the same time, strengthen the equipment renewal and upgrading of grassroots medical institutions to ensure that the grassroots people can also enjoy high-quality physical examination services.
8. Improve the accuracy of tumor marker detection
Strengthen the research and improvement of tumor marker detection methods to improve the sensitivity and specificity of detection. At the same time, standardize the operation process of physical examination institutions to reduce human error and misjudgment.
9. Strengthen health education
Popularize cancer prevention and control knowledge through various channels, and improve the public's health literacy and prevention awareness. Teach people how to correctly interpret the physical examination report, recognize the symptoms of early cancer, and achieve early detection and early detection. In addition, we should pay attention to the "fear of cancer" in society, guide the public to view cancer correctly, and establish a positive attitude towards life.
10. Establish a sound health record and follow-up system
Individuals are encouraged to establish a comprehensive health record to record their health status and physical examination results. For potentially at-risk populations, a follow-up system should be established to conduct regular follow-up examinations and assessments. This helps to detect and intervene in potential health problems in a timely manner to reduce the risk of cancer.
To sum up, to solve the dilemma of finding that cancer is still at an advanced stage in annual physical examinations, it requires many efforts and improvements. From the selection of physical examination items and methods to the improvement of public health literacy, every link is indispensable. Only by establishing a comprehensive and scientific physical examination system and health management mechanism can we better protect people's health and keep more people away from the threat of cancer.
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