Health Topics. Health Tools. Reviewed: January 29, Medically Reviewed. Types of Tests Biopsy In a biopsy , doctors remove a small piece of tissue and examine it under a microscope. Biopsies can be performed in different ways, such as: Needle biopsy A needle is used to remove tissue or fluid.
Endoscopic biopsy With this method, your doctor uses a special lighted tube, called an endoscope, to look at areas inside your body. Then, cells or tissues can be removed through the tube.
Surgical biopsy Surgeons remove part or all of a tumor during a surgical procedure. Skin biopsy With this procedure, your doctor cuts off a small sample of your skin to analyze it.
Liquid biopsy You may soon hear more about this form of testing, because it is new and is increasingly being used by clinicians. A liquid biopsy is a blood test that scans for traces of markers for certain cancers in the blood. This is often done when it is difficult to safely biopsy the tumor because of its location. Biopsies are sometimes done with the help of imaging technology to locate suspicious spots. Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking.
The testing process is sometimes referred to as pathology. Written by. The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing. Last Revised: July 30, Image of.
Close Select A Hope Lodge. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. There is no single definitive test that can confirm a diagnosis of cancer. Many different types of diagnostic procedures are used to establish the diagnosis because there are many different kinds of cancer.
The type of cancer and the affected part s of the body will guide your healthcare provider's decisions about which tests to order for you. And some types of cancer, like breast cancer and colon cancer, are often detected by routine screening tests. Early detection significantly increases the likelihood of cancer being treated successfully. One proactive step you can take is performing regular self-checks at home.
Cancers that may be detected with self-checks for include:. If you notice something concerning when doing a self-check, see your healthcare provider. While changes in the breasts, testicles, and skin often turn out to be normal, your healthcare provider can order the tests necessary to see if it's cancer.
Your healthcare provider will select your medical tests based on the location and type of cancer they are concerned about. If you aren't sure why you're having a test, ask your healthcare provider to explain why they have ordered it, or why they've chosen one test or scan over another.
Blood tests measure the levels of substances in your body, such as red blood cells RBCs , white blood cells WBCs , and markers of inflammation. While blood tests can help identify some signs of many types of cancer, they usually cannot definitively diagnose cancer. A complete blood count CBC and a blood chemistry profile are two of the most common blood tests, but your healthcare provider may also order more specialized tests.
Urinalysis examines the appearance and contents of your urine and may sometimes detect signs of certain types of cancer, including kidney and urothelial cancers which affect the bladder , ureters, urethra, and renal pelvis. To confirm a cancer diagnosis, your healthcare provider may surgically remove some tissue or cells from the tumor in your body and send the sample to a lab for testing. This is called a biopsy.
There are many types of biopsies. The one your healthcare provider performs will depend on the type of cancer suspected and where the tumor is located. Cytology tests look for cancerous cells in bodily fluids. Examples of fluids that can be examined with cytology tests include:. Cytology tests can also be performed on cells scraped or brushed from a particular organ.
This is called scrape or brush cytology. A well-known example of this technique is a Pap smear , which uses cervical tissue. The mouth, esophagus, bronchi, and stomach can also be scraped and brushed for cells. After you've been diagnosed, your healthcare provider may order tumor marker tests and genetic tests to determine the exact type of cancer you have, assess its stage, and decide on treatment.
If you need tests to find out if you have cancer, it's normal to be anxious and upset. Look to your loved ones for support and know that even if the test confirms the diagnosis, many cancers can be treated, especially if they're found early.
Imaging tests produce pictures of internal areas of your body. These pictures help your healthcare provider see if there are tumors or changes that could be caused by cancer.
X-rays are fast, painless tests that use low doses of radiation to obtain images of different parts of your body. In some cases, a contrast dye is used to make the pictures show up clearer. The dye may be given to you to swallow, injected into your veins, or passed to your intestine through your rectum. Different X-rays are used to diagnose different cancers.
For example, an X-ray of the chest can help diagnose lung cancer , while skeletal X-rays can detect bone cancers. A computed tomography CT scan uses an X-ray machine connected to a computer to take pictures of your body from different angles, producing cross-sectional images.
You might be given a special contrast dye, usually injected in a vein, to make the pictures clearer or to help your healthcare provider see the outline of a specific structure. This scan involves the use of high-frequency sound waves to generate images known as sonograms. Advanced Cancer and Caregivers.
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