I think the following from the 30-year prostate study is really interesting. Maybe in a possible future context of personal health management, lifestyle factors and early detection of disease:
“In addition to death from prostate cancer, our study predicted that a high TK1 value, predicts the death of any cause. We have not been able to find any specific causes of death other than prostate cancer, though.” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pros.24335
The study continues: “The growth of malignant cells, as well as inflammatory conditions, implies an increased cell division, which in turn can be reflected as an increased concentration of TK1 in the blood. Large screening studies with 8000 and 11,000 healthy participants, respectively, have been conducted in China, where TK1 concentration/TK1 protein levels in the blood were measured. At the time of screening, certain undiagnosed tumor diseases are captured and there are also indications that TK1 predicts not yet clinically detectable malignant diseases.”
Could it thereby be fair to say that this new Swedish 30-year study actually seems to confirm part of the earlier work performed in China - or at least confirm a similar general theme in the different studies which indicate/show a biologic relationship between levels of sTK1p, in an apparently healthy individual, and a later future health status of the same individual?
That is… if an apparently healthy individual is showing rising levels of sTK1p during regular yearly health check-up - than that individual would have the option to try to change suspected lifestyle factors (maybe sleeping habits, general stress, exercise, proper food etc) and in doing so try to lower sTK1p back to normal…? Personally, I think that would be a positive option worth reflecting on.
Ok, maybe all this speculations sounds a bit suspect, a bit un-scientific. But I don´t think so. I think there is now well accepted, also here in the western world, that such lifestyle factors may have huge impact on general health in the longterm perspective.
I remember the study comparing oilworkers with ordinary citizens - showing higher sTK1p amongst the oilworkers (Sven Skog and co-workers). But relative changes of sTK1p in the same apparently healthy individual - has this been investigated in a context focusing on possible ordinary lifestyle factors?
Maybe there could emerge new and interesting results from a, let´s say, 2-year study with, say, 50-100 apparently healthy participants in the age of, say, 20-40 years old and who is showing higher sTK1p than normal values?
Wouldn’t it be interesting to se if sTK1p values could show a trend back towards normal after, say, 6-12 months of positive changes in, for example, food and sleeping habits? Is there yet any studies performed including sTK1p with respect to such a kind of lifestyle factors and related parameters?