How do doctors know that people have cancer?

Question

just a question
i dont have it

Answer 1

tests!

Answer 2

Wow, that's a very broad question. Diagnosis of cancer usually begins with some particular symptom that the patient experiences, which varies by the type of cancer. To be sure, biopsies are generally done. This means that a small sample of tissue is taken from the suspicious area and examined by a type of doctor called a pathologist. Pathologists have special training in studying cells and tissue and are best able to tell whether the changes mean cancer or not. That's generally the final step in determining whether a person has cancer. If you're curious about a particular type of cancer, you might want to ask another question about that specific area.

Answer 3

you seem concerned. Is the one affected close to you?

well, anyway, cancer is not diagnosed right there & then. It is diagnosed after a chain of several examinations or diagnostic procedures depending on the probable site or symtoms manifested.

If lung cancer is suspected, chest X-ray PA, etc. is done. If brain metastasis occurred from lung cancer, MRIs, CT scans, PET scans & other tests are done to produce a vivid picture or a map of the brain.

Of course, routine exams such as: CBC, Urinalysis, etc are also done.

There are four warning signs of cancer, too. Let's make use of the Mnemonic :
" CAUTION US"

C -- Change in bowel or bladder movement
A -- A sore that does not heal
U -- Unusual bleeding
T -- Tumor or thickening lump that grows elsewhere
I -- Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing
O-- obvious change in warts or moles
N -- Nagging cough

U -- Unexplained anemia
S -- sudden weight loss

So now, you can tell if you probably have cancer. If these are experienced, seek consultation ASAP.

Answer 4

Depends on what cancer. Some cancers have patients coming in to see the doctor at an early stage, just because it produces symptoms that are bothersome. Examples are Colon CA (rectal bleeding), lung cancer (persistent cough, bloody sputum), testicular cancer, breast cancer (lumps on self-exam) - of course these symptoms may not bring people in to see the doctor until later, too. There are always exceptions.

The really dangerous cancers are the ones that do not cause many symptoms, and are diagnosed later on in the disease process. These are things like esophageal cancer (presents late in the game with inability to swallow, weight loss), pancreatic cancer, biliary tree cancer (pt have jaundice and abnormal liver tests) head and neck cancers (presents with hoarseness that odes not go away), Ovarian cancers (the most insidious - one of the most common presenting symptoms is the belly getting larger).

Some cancers are diagnosed by accident, when a test is done for another purpose. (Incidental findings) Like an abnormal blood count, persistent fevers (for a patient with leukemia/lymphoma), abnormal lumps on MRI/CT/XRAY.

If you have a specific cancer in mind, you should look on emedicine.com. THat will give you some ideas -- but remember, most patients do not come in with the "classic textbook" findings, and any good doctor will need to have these possibilities in their mind.

Answer 5

Usually by the symptoms it causes - it depends on the type of cancer. Some cancers cause lumpy tumors that you can feel. Colon cancer can cause bleeding. Sometimes there are no symptoms until the cancer has metastasized all through the body.

Answer 6

MRIs, several different kinds of blood tests, and even just visual evidence. There are several tests doctors can do and they all serve a purpose of scanning for some sort of cancer.

Answer 7

They'll take a Fine Needle Aspiration of suspected areas [or lymph nodes] and look for cancer cells in the microscope.

Answer 8

by performing a variety of test. usually if you have pain in a certain area, they may start with an x-ray. that can lead to MRI's or CAT scans. they can also take a CBC (complete blood count) to rule out certain things (anemia/white blood cell count, etc.). to get more in depth, they can take biopsies of tissue to be studied under a microscope to see any changes in cells.

Answer 9

They would perform a biopsy, perform blood tests, check your family history for cancer.

Answer 10

they take tissue samples and examine the cells under a microscope and look for cells that do not look normal. cancer shows up as abnormal looking cells. the tissue sample can be from anywhere in your body. it can be blood, skin, or organs.

Answer 11

My aunt just went in for a surgery, and they found Cancer when they were operating.