Sunny but not too hot, mid 70ºs at the MTSU Floyd Stadium. Got there just as the football team was finishing. It was hard.
Stretches, drills
12 x Stadium stair sprints
Even with a lengthy bathroom break after 6x, and with sit down breaks every 2 or 3x, I was only able to get a dozen. Could've gotten more but had a meeting to attend. Probably good that I didn't do more. Was feeling shaky after just 6.
Unlike the previous session, I was really sore today, the day after. Particularly calves, quads. Typical morning back and knee soreness.
Too heavy. 144 after workout. Woke up at 146.5 lbs today.
Health tests:
Fortunately, the AFP/AFP L3% and DCP tests came back with a good result, so I probably don't have liver cancer. The AFP tests were down 15% from the June test and the DCP had a negligible result (0.3 ng/ml). I booked a full body MRI cancer screening for Nov through Ezra. Head to pelvis, all organs.
That test was useless and a waste of money. Your decision process on it is seriously flawed which doesn’t speak well to how you will decide on treatment if and when you get a serious disease. I’ll save my breath on explaining why the test was useless in your case (healthy subject, low risk group) and copy and paste what an AI bot says. AFP-L3 (Alpha-fetoprotein-L3 isoform) and DCP (Des-Gamma-Carboxy Prothrombin, also known as PIVKA-II) are biomarkers used primarily in the diagnosis and monitoring of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, 肝細胞癌). Their roles as screening tools in healthy subjects, particularly for prevention, require careful consideration.
ReplyDelete**Usefulness of AFP-L3 and DCP in Predicting Liver Cancer in Healthy Subjects:**
1. **Current Evidence and Clinical Utility:**
- Both AFP-L3 and DCP are more established in surveillance among high-risk populations (e.g., patients with chronic hepatitis B or C, cirrhosis) rather than in the general healthy population.
- Their levels tend to increase when HCC develops, but they are **not sufficiently sensitive or specific** for early detection in asymptomatic, healthy individuals.
- Routine screening of healthy subjects with these markers is **not recommended** because of low positive predictive value in low-risk populations.
2. **Predictive Value and Limitations:**
- In high-risk groups, combining AFP, AFP-L3, and DCP improves detection sensitivity and specificity for early HCC.
- In healthy subjects, **false positives** may occur due to benign liver conditions, inflammation, or other factors, leading to unnecessary investigations.
- **Limited evidence** supports their use as preventative tools rather than diagnostic or screening tools.
3. **Preventative Implications:**
- Currently, **preventative strategies** focus on **lifestyle modification**, **vaccination (e.g., hepatitis B vaccine)**, and **treating underlying hepatitis infections**.
- Biomarkers like AFP-L3 and DCP are **not** used as preventive tools; rather, they aid in **early detection** among at-risk populations.
**Summary:**
- **AFP-L3 and DCP are useful in monitoring and diagnosing HCC in high-risk groups,** but **not** in screening or predicting liver cancer in healthy individuals.
- Their application as preventative tools in healthy subjects is **not supported by current evidence**.
**Annotations:**
- **Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, 肝細胞癌):** A primary malignancy of the liver.
- **Biomarkers:** Biological molecules used to detect or monitor disease.
- **Sensitivity and specificity:** Measures of a test's accuracy.
- **False positives:** When a test indicates disease when none is present.
Let me know if you'd like more details on screening strategies or the roles of these biomarkers!
Yes, I was wondering about that, as I had read it was not a diagnostic tool for the general population, however having identified some small liver cysts in combination with an AFP L3% over 10, I was concerned. I guess just paranoid.
DeleteThis is an important point “ **not sufficiently sensitive or specific** for early detection in asymptomatic, healthy individuals.” This means that false positives or false negatives could be common. So you can’t even use it to “feel better” as it isn’t sufficiently sensitive. Only useful for groups like cirrhosis, hepatitis B or C, etcetera. It’s been long enough that the MRI should show some change if it isn’t benign (very unlikely). I presume you will be making the previous scan available for comparison
ReplyDeleteThe previous scan was a CT w/o contrast.
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