What are tumor autoantibodies? Click here, you can find everything you want

"Tumor autoantibodies" are also called "tumor immune antibodies". The human immune system is very powerful and is a powerful "protective umbrella" for our body. The immune system can not only resist bacteria and viruses, but also defend against tumor cells. When tumor antigens are produced in the body, the immune system will produce "specific immunoglobulins" for defense. These "specific immunoglobulins" are medically called tumor autoantibodies. Among them, a group of antibodies related to the occurrence and development of lung tumors are called "lung cancer autoantibodies". Tumor autoantibodies can work together with other immune functions to eliminate early tumor cells; medically it is called "tumor immune surveillance"; to some extent, in the initial stage, tumor autoantibodies are a kind of "defensive" antibody. The immune system is an important protective system for us to defend against tumor attacks. This is also an important reason why most of us will not get cancer even when exposed to carcinogenic factors.

In medicine, the discipline of the struggle between tumors and immunity is called tumor immunology. This discipline has been systematically studied by scientists around the world for more than 100 years. Nobel Prize winner and German immunologist Paul Ehrlich said in 1909 that without the defense of the immune system, the number of patients with tumors in the world would be much higher than in the real world.

Should I be happy about producing antibodies?

The coin needs to be viewed from two levels. From one level, tumor autoantibodies are indeed "defensive" antibodies. For most asymptomatic people, they are likely to be in the process of "tumor immune clearance" (Elimination), so there is no need to worry too much about the production of antibodies. Just rule out suspicious lesions in the lungs and have regular physical examinations.

But on the other side of the coin, tumors are too cunning. As the human body continues to be attacked by carcinogenic factors (such as heavy tobacco and long-term inflammatory stimulation), the protective effect of antibodies will become ineffective, resulting in medical "tumor immune escape" (Escape). Some tumor cells mutate and cannot be recognized by the immune system, and gradually develop into clinically visible tumors. If there are suspicious nodules or shadows in the lungs, the possibility of medical "tumor immune escape" (Escape) is relatively high.

From these two perspectives, antibodies have a defensive function, but they are also a sign of molecular disease. We can use this barometer of the immune system to remind us to carry out corresponding health management or further CT screening. For individuals, whether antibody positivity is on the positive or negative side of the coin requires clinical interpretation.

What are the examination items for the seven autoantibodies for lung cancer?

The molecular examination of lung cancer autoantibodies is a microscopic biological molecular detection project that reflects the state of tumor immune response. It is not a macroscopic pathological examination project to confirm whether it is lung cancer.

What we usually call "lung cancer" is the name of a disease in which tissue cancer forms in the body. From the generation of the first tumor cell to the formation of 0.5 mm tissue cancer in the body, it usually takes 5-10 years of continuous lesions at the molecular level, and most people do not have specific symptoms during these 5-10 years. The process of accumulation of "molecular lesions" to "tissue cancer" is a multi-stage, multi-step, and multi-factor process. Once it reaches the "tissue cancer" that can be detected by CT, even if it is 0.5 mm, it is basically irreversible and often requires surgical intervention. The molecular diagnosis of tumor autoantibodies project is to discover early lung cancer and precancerous lesions at the molecular biological level.