Battling the Crab: A Look at the Different Laboratory Testing Procedures to Diagnose Cancer

[Micheal Jorden]

Cancer is essentially the most feared disease in the world. And why not? Based on statistics, it's the 4th leading cause of death on the planet, following cardiovascular diseases, infectious or parasitic diseases, and heart disease. It's estimated that 1,144,000 people die of the disease each year, despite the number of medical technologies present today. Some of the very most used laboratory testing procedures to greatly help detect, diagnose, and even determine the spread of cancer in a patient's body is outlined in this article. Who knows? The data in this information might just assist saving your life.

The most frequent of the laboratory testing procedures in regards to diagnosing cancer is a biopsy. Here, a tissue sample is extracted from the suspected area. A pathologist then examines the sample to determine if cancer is indeed present. When it is, the pathologist would then determine through his/her examination of the sample how bad the cancer is.

You can find various types of biopsies. The fine needle aspiration biopsy, like what its name suggests, employs a very thin needle to remove tissue and liquid samples. A core needle biopsy  EN17272, on one other hand, involves the use of a larger needle to be able to extract a tissue sample. The latter is completed whenever the pathologist will need more tissue samples to examine.

Someone may also undergo imaging tests that will show the particular size and location of a cancer tumor. However, these imaging tests cannot determine if the lump within a patient's breast area is indeed a cancer tumor or not; a biopsy might have to be conducted to ensure that the doctor and patient to be absolutely sure.

An X-ray is a well-known imaging test. A bone scan allows doctors to examine the inside structure of a patient's bones. Doctors would have to inject a tracer into the patient's veins, which may then show if you have cancer in a particular area or not. A CT scan is a three-dimensional image of a patient's body. One can think of it as a far more visual and improved picture of an x-ray. Sometimes, a dye is injected in to a patient's body whenever doctors want a clearer picture of the inside of the body.

There are many laboratory testing procedures that are conducted whenever a patient is suspected of getting cancer. Some laboratory testing procedures only require a sample of a patient's blood, urine, and even his/her excrement, and others involve inserting a camera within the patient's body.