maintrac
Treatment is complete and a recurrence of the cancer has been successfully prevented. In medical circles, this phase is known as "remission". However, there is never a full guarantee that the malignant disease will not return, accompanied by a formation of new tumors in the body (relapse). This is because tumor cells can survive for decades within the body's tissues and are able to form new tumors at any time.
For this reason, patients with a history of cancer are encouraged to attend regular follow-up examinations and checks. In order to identify a case of relapse on an X-ray, the tumor needs to have reached a size of 0.5 cm. Additionally, the area examined tends to focus on the area of the original tumor (e.g. the breast from the side of the chest where a breast tumor had been removed). Very much important when considering the disease, however, are metastases, which form in organs far from the primary tumor, and may not necessarily be picked up during follow-up examinations.
New tumor activity, and with it an increase in circulating tumor cells (CETC / CTC) in the blood, can be detected using maintrac®. An increasing number of cells in the blood is an indicator of the fact that tumor cells are becoming more active and that a new tumor may be growing.
With maintrac® it can be possible to detect new cancer growth more quickly than with other methods, as the changes in cell count over time are crucial. It is advisable for patients to undergo long-term monitoring with maintrac® once they have concluded their therapy. In this way, the long-term treatment success can be monitored through analysis of circulating tumor cells, as the patient receives an early warning should tumor activity start again.