If your cancer screening test has come back showing that you need further evaluation, you’re probably worried. What kind of tests do you need? What can they tell you and your doctor about your unsettling results? Some of your concerns might be minimized if you know what kinds of screenings are available and what happens during each type. Here are a few of the common types of tests that are used to discover more about your screening results.
Diagnostic imaging
Diagnostic imaging can be both a screening tool and help with diagnosis if screening is abnormal. For example, a screening mammogram can be abnormal but MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the same breast may show the abnormal area on mammogram to be normal.
Biopsy
If imaging cannot determine if something is benign, , you may need to have a biopsy–a procedure in which a sample of cells is extracted from the body for closer analysis. This can be done one of several ways, depending on what tissue needs to be inspected. The doctor might insert a needle into an area to extract a small amount of tissue from a suspicious breast lump or use a tiny tube with a fiber optic light attached to sample the lining of the throat or intestines. The extracted tissue is then sent to a pathology lab for microscopic inspection to determine if there is any cause for further concern.
X-ray
An X-ray test is a basic imaging test that is often used to evaluate the chest. An X-ray sends a controlled beam of radiation through the relevant area and photographs the way the tissues absorb or reflect the radiation. This creates a contrast photograph, meaning a photograph in light and dark colors only, of the inside of a person’s body that can be studied to find evidence of tissue growths that shouldn’t be there.
CT Scan
CT stands for computer-assisted tomography and involves creating an image by piecing “slices” of the body together. A CT scan provides much more detail than a regular x-ray, and in order to provide the most detail patients may be asked to drink a substance called contrast that helps doctors visualize individual organs better. The contrast is usually iodine based, so people with iodine or shellfish allergies should be premedicated for scans with contrast or using a different type of imaging. CT scans may be helpful when looking for certain types of tumors, especially tumors in bones and most organs
MRI
Advances in imaging have made it possible to scan for cancers without using radiation. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses magnetic waves to create detailed images, where other radiographic tests wouldn’t necessarily be able to see as clearly. MRI is especially useful for soft tissue. MRI may also require contrast, although this is different from that used for CT scans.
Ultrasound
An ultrasound is used to identify certain cancers in soft tissue that do not appear well on an X-ray, such as the breast or reproductive organs including ovaries or testicles. An ultrasound probe is placed against the skin near the organ to be examined and projects high-frequency sound waves through the body. These reflect off the body’s tissues and back to the probe, creating an image of the inside of the body that can be analyzed for possible cancerous growths.
Conclusion
The idea that you may have cancer is frightening enough. Knowing how further testing is conducted and what you will learn from it can ease some of the worry. With all types of cancer, one of the most important things about treating it is to start early. By knowing what tests you might need, you can approach your doctor with more informed questions about what’s happening to you and what your best course of action is.