What tests are done to check for cancer? How do I get a second opinion for cancer treatment?
What are the kinds of tests used to help detect cancer? The tests used to detect cancer depend upon the kind of cancer and the degree to which it has spread. They fall into the following categories: • Clinical history and physical examination, including routine blood and urine analyses, heart exams, and chest x-ray. • X-ray examinations • Optical instruments ( endoscopy ) • Examination of sloughed off cells (cytology) • Radioactive scans • Ultrasound • CT scans (also called CAT or ACTA scans) • MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) • Monoclonal antibodies • Biopsies Do doctors do too many diagnostic tests? Sometimes, but in the area of cancer, it seems that the problem is that too few diagnostic tests are done before operating rather than too many. Laboratory tests are a vital part of any diagnostic workup, but especially so in the treatment of cancer. It is of major importance for the doctor to determine ifthe cancer has spread to other areas from the primary site...