How Doctors Confirm a Cancer Diagnosis: Tests, Scans & Biopsy Explained

How do doctors confirm cancer diagnosis?

Before starting any major medical tests and scans, doctors usually analyze the suspected patient’s previous medical history for an initial assessment, and if they find any major conclusions, then the doctors might proceed for a physical examination. 

Analysing medical history and physical examination

• Medical history: Doctors often ask about any specific symptoms, along with the patient's lifestyle and family history of cancer and previous illness.
• Physical examination: The doctors often check for any signs of visible lumps and skin changes, along with swelling and tenderness in the affected areas.

These are the major steps to help with further diagnosis procedures; tests and scans are necessary to confirm the cancer.

Laboratory tests

Performing laboratory tests including blood tests and urine tests often helps to find out any abnormalities caused by the cancer disease. 

Some of these tests may include:

• Complete Blood Count (CBC) : Performing a CBC test in a suspected patient helps to determine the unusual counts of blood cells including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. 
• Tumor Marker Tests : Performing a tumor marker test in people helps to measure any type of specific proteins usually found in certain types of cancers.
• Urinalysis : It helps to detect any type of abnormal cells or substances that suggest the sign of cancer. 

Keep in mind that performing lab tests alone can’t confirm the cancer, but these test results will often lead to more medical evaluations and tests. 

Imaging scans to find out any abnormalities

Performing imaging tests often allows your doctor to determine bones and internal organs in a non-invasive way. This often means that performing these scans often help the doctors to see inside of the body without any surgery. 

Imaging tests used in diagnosing cancer may include:

• CT scans : Performing a CT scan helps to create more detailed cross-sectional images to show any types of tumor spread in the suspected patients. 
• Ultrasound : These tests use sound waves to detect any types of lumps of fluid buildup in the suspected or cancer patients. 
• MRIs : Performing MRIs offers the chance to discover high-detail images, especially for organs like the brain, spinal cord, or soft tissues. 
• PET Scan : Performing these scans helps to highlight any type of active cancer cells using a special type of dye. 
• X-Rays : Performing X-rays on suspected patients helps to find out any types of tumors, bone damage or lung issues. 

Biopsy

Performing a biopsy on a suspected cancer patient is a way to determine exactly what’s going on in your body. In a biopsy, a healthcare provider usually removes the sample of tissues, and later a medical pathologist examines them for any signs of cancer.

There are several types of biopsies, these may include:

• Needle biopsy
• Endoscopic biopsy
• Surgical biopsy
• Bone marrow biopsy
• Cone biopsy
• Liquid biopsy
• Punch biopsy
• Sentinel lymph nodes
• Shave biopsy

A medical pathologist often examines the sample under a microscope to detect if the cancer cells are present. Whether it has spread, what type of cells are present, and how aggressive they may be. 

Genetic and Molecular testing

In modern cancer care, an oncologist often performs the genetic profiling of the cancer cells. Doctors use genetic and molecular testing in suspected cancer patients to detect any types of cancer mutations that drive cancer growth in the patients. 

Performing these tests also helps to design personalized cancer treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.

Cancer staging

Cancer staging is a way to measure the extent of cancer growth in a suspected patient’s body. This procedure also helps to confirm the suspicion of cancer in some people. The cancer staging also helps with measuring the treatment patterns and outcomes in a patient.

When the cancer is confirmed in a patient, the oncologists will later move to determine the stage of the cancer. It helps to analyse how far the cancer has spread in the body.

• Stage I : This is a localized cancer
• Stage II: The tumor is grown larger and possibly spread to nearby lymph nodes
• Stage III: The tumor has grown deeper into the surrounding tissues, generally spread to nearby lymph nodes
• Stage IV: The cancer has spread metastasized, which is outside of the original site