Diagnosis of Cancer

Cancer screening tests intended to determine the possibility of cancer. This test can reduce the number of deaths due to cancer, because if cancer is found in the earliest stages, usually can be treated before it spreads further. Screening tests are uncertain, the results reinforced or refuted by an examination and further tests.

Although screening tests can save someone's life, but it is expensive and sometimes lead to psychological or physical reactions. Screening tests usually provide a large number of false positive results, which allegedly occurred when in fact it is not cancer. Screening tests can also give false negative results, where no evidence of a cancer when the cancer has occurred.

False positive results can cause undue psychological stress and can lead to do other tests are expensive and dangerous. False negative results can melenakan someone in a false sense of security. Because of that medical practitioners should carefully consider whether screening tests are not necessary or not.

Two screening tests most widely used in women is Papanicolaou test (Pap smear) to find cervical cancer and mammography to find breast cancer. Both of these tests have been successful in reducing death rates from these cancers.

Screening tests are often done on men is measured levels of PSA (prostate-specific agent) in the blood. In patients with prostate cancer, PSA levels are high, but levels are also elevated in men with benign prostate enlargement. Disadvantages of this test is its high cost and frequent false-positive results were found.

Other screening tests are often used to check blood tersermbunyi (occult blood) in the stool. Occult blood can not be seen with the naked eye, should be an examination of stool samples. The discovery of occult blood in the stool is a chain of clues that something is wrong in the colon. Maybe a cancer, although other diseases can also lead to the discovery of a small amount of blood in the stool.

Some screening tests can be done at home. For example perform breast self-examination every month is invaluable in helping women find breast cancer. Regularly check the scrotum can help men discover scrotal cancer, one of the most curable cancer when caught at an early stage. Regularly check the presence of open sores in the mouth may help discover oral cancer in early stages.

CANCER DIAGNOSIS

Since this type of cancer and its treatment vary, then the diagnosis of cancer and determine its type is very important. This almost always requires a cancerous tissue sample for examination under a microscope. A number of special tests on samples of cancer tissue may be required to describe more about the cancers found.

If the type of cancer is known, will assist physicians in determining the examination to be performed, because every cancer tends to follow a certain pattern of growth and spread. In 7% of patients, the examination carried out to find the metastasis (spread) before the origin of cancer were observed.

Sometimes the cancer origin could not be found.

Doctors can usually determine the type of primary tumor with a biopsy of a metastatic cancer and examined under a microscope. But the identification of cancer is not always easy and certain.

DETERMINING CANCER STADIUM

If the cancer is found, staging examinations (staging) of cancer helps the doctor plan appropriate treatment and determine prognosis. Series of tests used to determine the location of the tumor, its size, its growth into surrounding tissues and spread to other parts of the body.

Staging can be done using:

Scan (eg liver or bone scan)

Coloration

CT (computed tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Mediastinoskopi

Bone marrow biopsy.

Sometimes surgery is necessary to determine the stage of cancer. For example a laparotomy (abdominal surgery) allows the surgeon to remove or treat colon cancer while determining the spread of cancer to nearby lymph nodes. Analysis of lymph nodes are removed from the armpit at the time of mastectomy, help determine how far breast cancer has spread and whether the necessary post-surgical therapy.

Splenectomy performed to remove the spleen and helps determine the stage of Hodgkin's disease. Skening ultrasonic procedure is non-invasive and painless, which uses sound waves to show the structure of internal organs. This examination is helpful in determining the size of certain cancers, especially cancers of kidney, liver, pelvis and prostate.

CT scan is used to find cancer in the brain, lungs and abdominal organs, including adrenal gland, lymph nodes, liver and spleen.

Limfangiogram is an exam in which dye is injected into the leg x-rays and then done the shooting. This examination helps find abnormalities in the abdominal lymph nodes and determine the stage of Hodgkin's disease and scrotal cancer.

With the MRI procedure could find brain cancer, bone and spinal cord.