Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
| | A | | | B | | | C | | | D | | | E | | | F | | | G | | | H | | | I | | | J | | | K | | | L | | | M | |
| | N | | | O | | | P | | | Q | | | R | | | S | | | T | | | U | | | V | | | W | | | X | | | Y | |
Diagnosis of Cancer
There are many different ways of diagnosing cancers, and they differ for each particular type.
Routine screening such as mammography (for breast cancer), colonoscopy (colorectal cancer), and smear test (cervical cancer) may detect cancer-type activity before symptoms appear.
Tests aimed at diagnosing specific symptoms such as x-ray, ultrasound, computerised tomography scan (CT scan) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scan) may detect cancers.
Once discovered a sample of tissue will be analysed (biopsy) and blood tests taken. Scans will be used to determine to supplement the biopsy analysis and to test if, or how far, the cancer has spread in the body (staging).









