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Why Repeat Tests Are Sometimes Needed During Cancer Treatment
By Raveena M Prakash
Cancer treatment is a challenging journey that often requires consistency, adaptability, and careful monitoring. One of the important aspects of cancer treatment is performing some tests repeatedly after the treatments. While it can be confusing or even frustrating for patients, there is a need for the tests.
Whether you are newly diagnosed or undergoing cancer treatments, people often wonder, ‘Why do I need to undergo another scan or blood test? I just had one a few weeks ago! But here’s the truth: repeating these tests during cancer treatment is not a sign of inefficiency; it's an integral part of making sure that the treatment works as intended and adjusting the plan when needed.
In this blog, we’ll look more into why repeat tests are needed, their benefits, how these tests detect the side effects of treatments, and blood tests performed during the treatments!
Why repeat tests are needed during cancer treatment?
An oncologist often performs repeated blood tests and scans during cancer treatment to monitor the treatment effectiveness and its effect on patients, and it also checks for any early signs of recurrence and detects changes in the tumor’s characteristics. Additionally, it makes sure that the patient’s overall well-being and health condition remain stable for ongoing cancer treatments.
Here’s why repeated tests are needed during cancer treatments, including:
Monitoring your treatment progress
Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or targeted therapy can affect tumors and patients differently. Repeating these tests on patients, like imaging tests, CT scans, MRIs, or PET scans, allows doctors to monitor whether the tumor has spread or is growing or shrinking or not. It helps to determine if the treatment is working or needs any types of further adjustments.
Detecting side effects of treatments early
Some cancer treatments often negatively impact our internal organs, like the heart, liver, or kidneys. Performing some necessary tests, like blood tests, are repeated to check how well these internal organs are functioning during the cancer therapy. Early diagnosis of treatment-related side effects usually allows the doctors to make some timely changes and protects the overall health of a patient.
Adjusting the medicine dosages in cancer patients
Some cancer drugs require careful monitoring of the overall counts of blood cells in the body. Repeating some types of tests helps to understand the count of red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets to know whether it's dropping to unsafe levels in the body due to any types of drugs or medicine dosage.
Some of these medicines are adjusted based on these repeated test results; many oncologists tend to change the dosages of drugs and delay the treatment sessions or provide some supportive care to keep the patients safe.
Ensuring the accuracy of test results
In some cases, initial test results come out as unclear and show some borderline test findings. However, performing some of these tests repeatedly after any type of crucial treatment helps to confirm the test results with accuracy. This will eliminate any types of confusion in patients due to misdiagnosis.
It would help patients to make the necessary treatment decisions based on reliable information.
Checking for the risk of recurrence and cancer spread
Even after getting essential cancer treatments, the doctors advise performing some tests repeatedly, because these tests are considered to monitor the risk of cancer recurrence in patients. Early detection of recurrence and cancer spread often gives cancer patients a better chance of effective treatments and therapies.
Providing a sense of peace of mind for patients
Preparing for repeated tests often feels quite stressful and anxious for cancer patients, while the results offer reassurance to patients and their families. For many patients, observing stable or improving results helps to reduce anxiety and builds confidence in their treatment outcomes and overall healing journey.
Types of blood tests for Cancer diagnosis
Here are some of the blood tests used for cancer diagnosis in suspected cancer patients. Including:
Cancer blood tests | |
|---|---|
Blood Tests | Type of cancer detected |
Complete Blood Count (CBC) | Blood cancers like Leukemia and Lymphoma |
Tumor Marker Blood Tests | CA-125 Tests: Ovarian and Pancreatic cancer PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) tests: Prostate cancer |
Blood Protein Tests | Blood cancers like Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Multiple myeloma |
Circulating Tumor Cell Tests | Predicting treatment outcomes in patients in Metastatic Breast, Prostate and Colon cancers |
The Galleri Test | It detects 50 types of cancer using DNA |
Protemics Based Plasma Test | It detects 18 different types of cancers |
Consult Today
Performing repeated tests during cancer treatments is not an unnecessary financial burden, but it is an essential checkpoint that guides healthcare professionals in delivering safe, precise, and effective care to patients. These tests help monitor the patient’s health progress, adjust cancer therapies and their dosage, detect the side effects of treatments, and provide a sense of peace of mind.
At Oncare, we offer premium quality cancer treatments, including advanced cancer surgeries, at affordable price ranges with an experienced cancer specialist consultation.
If you or any loved ones of yours are diagnosed with cancer, visit Oncare Cancer Center and book an appointment with our cancer specialist today. Get an estimated cost of your cancer treatments today.
Frequently Asked Questions
With the combination of other tests, performing a blood tests can give your healthcare provider information about:
- Chemicals and proteins in the blood that indicates the sign of cancer
- Blood cell levels are high and low because of cancer
- Stage of cancer
- Effectiveness of treatments
- Cancer recurrence
Some of these cancers may detect cancer may include:
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Non-hodgkin lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
Performing blood tests usually are not enough for a cancer diagnosis. You will almost need some additional tests.
These may include:
- Biopsy
- Imaging tests
- Mammogram
- Pap smear tests
Here are some types of blood tests, these may include:
- Complete blood count tests (CBC)
- Electrophoresis blood tests
- Tumor marker tests
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