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Biomarkers Matter
Information by Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation
Biomarker testing can open the door to additional, personalized treatment options, including clinical trials.
If you’ve been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, it is important that you and your doctor get as much information as possible about your tumor. Knowing your tumor’s biomarkers will help you both to make important decisions about your treatment.
What are Biomarkers?
Your body is made up of different types of cells. You can think of each cell as a little factory that produces all sorts of molecules that keep the factory running smoothly. Each type of cell produces a unique set of molecules, called a molecular “signature”. This signature helps to identify each cell and its activities.
A biomarker is any molecule that can be measured in tumor tissue, blood, or other bodily fluids. The term “biomarker” is short for “biological marker”. These markers provide a way for your doctor to monitor whether your body is operating normally or there are signs of a disease or other condition.
When you have a routine blood test, your laboratory report lists a variety of biomarkers, like your thyroid hormone levels, glucose level, and red and white blood cell counts. This lets your doctor see how your body is functioning. It can also tell your doctor how you are responding to a medication.
What are Cancer Biomarkers?
Cancer cells were once healthy cells. Damaged genes caused the cells to go rogue. These rogue cells quickly multiply, forming a tumor that crowds out healthy cells. Cancer cells can “go rogue” in many different ways. If we took a close look at the tumor cells from three people with the same type of cancer, we would likely find that different molecules are driving each of their tumors.
The term “cancer biomarkers” refers to molecules that are produced either by tumor cells or by other cells in the body reacting to a tumor. You might also hear them called “tumor markers” or “driver mutations”.
Damaged genes are said to be “mutated”. Mutations can be inherited or acquired.
- Inherited mutations are present in all of your cells. They are passed down through generations and can affect your risk for getting certain kinds of cancer. Testing for inherited mutations is called “genetic testing”. This is done mainly for risk assessment, often for those who do not have cancer.
- Acquired mutations are only present in tumor cells and are identified through biomarker testing. Knowing these biomarkers is helpful in making treatment decisions. Learn more.
- Proteins
Proteins are made by both healthy and cancerous cells. But cancer cells often produce too much of a protein or an abnormal protein. This can be detected through biomarker testing.
More
Information by Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation
Biomarker testing can open the door to additional, personalized treatment options, including clinical trials.
With the discovery of advanced therapies and a better understanding of the genomic and molecular drivers of cancer, the clinical utility of biomarker testing—particularly for your patients with cholangiocarcinoma and other rare cancers—cannot be understated. Indeed, a patient’s biomarkers may be relevant throughout the continuum of care. Patients with cholangiocarcinoma have a dismal prognosis and few treatment options; however, broad sequencing efforts have shown that more than 50% of patients with cholangiocarcinoma have at least one actionable biomarker. Knowing which biomarkers are driving a patient’s tumor could open the door to personalized treatment options, including access to clinical trials that may give patients the chance to live well and longer.
What are Biomarkers?
Your body is made up of different types of cells. You can think of each cell as a little factory that produces all sorts of molecules that keep the factory running smoothly. Each type of cell produces a unique set of molecules, called a molecular “signature”. This signature helps to identify each cell and its activities.
A biomarker is any molecule that can be measured in tumor tissue, blood, or other bodily fluids. The term “biomarker” is short for “biological marker”. These markers provide a way for your doctor to monitor whether your body is operating normally or there are signs of a disease or other condition.
When you have a routine blood test, your laboratory report lists a variety of biomarkers, like your thyroid hormone levels, glucose level, and red and white blood cell counts. This lets your doctor see how your body is functioning. It can also tell your doctor how you are responding to a medication.
What are Cancer Biomarkers?
Cancer cells were once healthy cells. Damaged genes caused the cells to go rogue. These rogue cells quickly multiply, forming a tumor that crowds out healthy cells. Cancer cells can “go rogue” in many different ways. If we took a close look at the tumor cells from three people with the same type of cancer, we would likely find that different molecules are driving each of their tumors.
The term “cancer biomarkers” refers to molecules that are produced either by tumor cells or by other cells in the body reacting to a tumor. You might also hear them called “tumor markers” or “driver mutations”.
Damaged genes are said to be “mutated”. Mutations can be inherited or acquired.
- Inherited mutations are present in all of your cells. They are passed down through generations and can affect your risk for getting certain kinds of cancer. Testing for inherited mutations is called “genetic testing”. This is done mainly for risk assessment, often for those who do not have cancer.
- Acquired mutations are only present in tumor cells and are identified through biomarker testing. Knowing these biomarkers is helpful in making treatment decisions. Learn more.
- Proteins
Proteins are made by both healthy and cancerous cells. But cancer cells often produce too much of a protein or an abnormal protein. This can be detected through biomarker testing.
More
Information by Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation
Biomarker testing can open the door to additional, personalized treatment options, including clinical trials.
If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, it is important that you and your doctor get as much information as possible about your tumor. Knowing your tumor’s biomarkers will help you both to make important decisions about your treatment.
What are Biomarkers?
Your body is made up of different types of cells. You can think of each cell as a little factory that produces all sorts of molecules that keep the factory running smoothly. Each type of cell produces a unique set of molecules, called a molecular “signature”. This signature helps to identify each cell and its activities.
A biomarker is any molecule that can be measured in tumor tissue, blood, or other bodily fluids. The term “biomarker” is short for “biological marker”. These markers provide a way for your doctor to monitor whether your body is operating normally or there are signs of a disease or other condition.
When you have a routine blood test, your laboratory report lists a variety of biomarkers, like your thyroid hormone levels, glucose level, and red and white blood cell counts. This lets your doctor see how your body is functioning. It can also tell your doctor how you are responding to a medication.
What are Cancer Biomarkers?
Cancer cells were once healthy cells. Damaged genes caused the cells to go rogue. These rogue cells quickly multiply, forming a tumor that crowds out healthy cells. Cancer cells can “go rogue” in many different ways. If we took a close look at the tumor cells from three people with the same type of cancer, we would likely find that different molecules are driving each of their tumors.
The term “cancer biomarkers” refers to molecules that are produced either by tumor cells or by other cells in the body reacting to a tumor. You might also hear them called “tumor markers” or “driver mutations”.
Damaged genes are said to be “mutated”. Mutations can be inherited or acquired.
- Inherited mutations are present in all of your cells. They are passed down through generations and can affect your risk for getting certain kinds of cancer. Testing for inherited mutations is called “genetic testing”. This is done mainly for risk assessment, often for those who do not have cancer.
- Acquired mutations are only present in tumor cells and are identified through biomarker testing. Knowing these biomarkers is helpful in making treatment decisions. Learn more.
- Proteins
Proteins are made by both healthy and cancerous cells. But cancer cells often produce too much of a protein or an abnormal protein. This can be detected through biomarker testing.
