Diagnosing cancer

Cancer can be a life-threatening disease. The sooner it is found, the more likely it can be cured. Different kinds of cancer are treated in different ways, so it's very important to carefully identify the specific type.

A diagnostic evaluation for cancer seeks to find the signs or symptoms suggestive of that disease. The evaluation is used to determine the existence of and extent of the disease.

A person may first have a biopsy to remove suspicious cells from their body. The biopsy is usually done by a physician and may be done either in the physician's office or in the hospital. Additional tests such as blood tests, sputum tests, urine tests, x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and various other studies are sometimes needed to help determine the extent of the cancer. In cases where tests do not give your doctor enough information, exploratory surgery may be necessary.

To know for sure if a person has cancer, their cells, suspicious growths, or affected tissue must be examined under a microscope. The doctor who specializes in looking at diseased cells is called a pathologist.

Cancer is often found when a person feels a lump in their body or sees a suspicious growth on their skin. Sometimes it is found by routine cancer screening methods such as having a mammogram for breast cancer, a Pap smear for cervical cancer, or a rectal exam for colon and prostate cancers.

In the case of blood cancers, such as leukemia, tumors are not seen or felt. The person will have other symptoms that send them to their doctor. Examples of other symptoms are weakness, fever, or bleeding. At this time, special blood tests are done and the person's bone marrow may also need to be tested.

The chances of curing cancer increase with early and accurate detection. Treatment should be started as soon as a diagnosis is made in order to stop the rapid growth of cancer cells.

Consult the UI Health Care Cancer Information Service for more information about this topic.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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