Assess—Don’t Guess: Lab Testing for Terrain-Based Cancer Prevention and Care

A Functional Medicine Guide to Revealing Hidden Risks and Personalizing Healing

Why Testing Matters:
Cancer doesn’t begin with a tumor—it begins with terrain. Symptoms can mislead, and
imaging can miss early dysfunction. Lab testing reveals the biochemical environment
cancer cells exploit—and the ones we can disrupt.

Key Biomarkers and What They Reveal:
Blood Glucose & HbA1c
• Elevated glucose fuels cancer via the Warburg effect
• HbA1c reflects long-term glycemic control
• Linked to increased risk and mortality in multiple cancers

Ketone Bodies (β-Hydroxybutyrate)
• Promote anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative terrain
• Suppress cancer cell metabolism and oxidative stress

Zinc & Copper Ratio
• Zinc supports DNA repair and immune function
• Excess copper promotes angiogenesis and tumor growth

Heavy Metals (Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead)
• Disrupt mitochondrial function and DNA integrity
• Increase cancer risk even at low levels

Iodine
• Supports thyroid function, immune resilience, and detoxification
• Deficiency linked to breast, thyroid, and gastric cancers

Selenium
• Cofactor for glutathione peroxidase
• Reduces oxidative stress and supports apoptosis

Urine & Saliva pH
• Reflect systemic acid-base balance and metabolic stress
• Acidic terrain linked to poor prognosis in bladder and prostate cancers

MyRisk Genetic Testing
• Assesses 48 cancer-related genes (BRCA, CHEK2, PTEN, etc.)
• Guides food, supplements, medications, and lifestyle to reshape terrain

MTHFR Gene
• Impacts methylation, detoxification, and DNA repair
• Variants linked to increased cancer risk and treatment response

Glyphosate
• Disrupts mitochondrial function, gut microbiome, and immune signaling
• Linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and endocrine cancers

DUTCH Complete Hormone Test
• Measures estrogen metabolites, cortisol, DHEA, melatonin
• Reveals hormone detox pathways and adrenal stress
https://shop.dutchtest.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Clinical-Validity-of-DUTCH-Ref033020.pdf

Cortisol
• Chronic elevation suppresses immune function and promotes tumor growth
• Flattened cortisol curves linked to poor outcomes
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41416-021-01505-8

LDH (Lactate Dehydrogenase)
• Marker of tumor metabolism and immune evasion
• Elevated LDH linked to poor prognosis in multiple cancers
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41571-022-00686-2

Vitamin D3 and K2
• D3 regulates immune function and cell growth
• K2 inhibits angiogenesis and supports calcium metabolism
Link 1: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2774465
Link 2: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.757603/full

Takeaway: Data Drives Decisions -
Symptoms are signals. Labs are maps.
Testing empowers us to personalize nutrition, detoxification, supplementation, and lifestyle to reshape the terrain—making the body less hospitable to cancer and more resilient to healing.
https://www.prevailovercancer.com/blog/Top%20Lab%20Tests%20That%20Reveal%20Hidden%20Cancer%20Risks:%20A%20Functional%20Medicine%20Guide%20to%20Terrain-Based%20Healing