In the UK millions of people are affected by cancer in one way or another. It is a disease that has wreaked havoc and continues to do so. Every single year there are around 156,000 deaths that can be linked to cancer which gives some idea of the scale of the problem.
The problem is not getting any smaller either. Around 300,000 new cases of cancer are identified every year and so it is clear why so much effort, time and money is being invested in helping to trying to find ways to beat the disease. Breast cancer is the most common form of the disease it affects around 15 per cent of people suffering from the disease. Biomarkers are playing an important role in the fight and in identifying various forms of cancer at the earliest possible stage, and are also being used as part of non-invasive cancer tests which are designed to cause the minimum amount of stress to the patient.
One form of the disease where biomarkers are being used widely is prostate cancer. According to Health website the Daily Health Report, research has been undertaken which it is said shows that certain biomarkers can help in the early identification of Parkinson's disease even before the symptoms start to appear. Dr Mari-Anne Rowlands said that the findings involving biomarkers are important in terms of efforts to help detect prostate cancer at an early stage. However, she added that additional research needs to be carried out in order to further understand which biomarkers are the most important for various types of cancer.
Research into biomarkers and their ability to help in the early detection of diseases is set to continue apace and will surely grow as more companies and experts come to realise the benefits of biomarkers and the important role they can play in medical research. The cost of research into biomarkers is not cheap however, and more data is needed if biomarkers are to achieve their potential. As biomarkers are further integrated into the medical research and drug development process, more data and evidence will be gathered which is vitally important to increase understanding and knowledge. It is important to keep the pressure on and to keep making advances and the more companies and research institutions that come to realise the benefits of biomarkers the better.