Cancer diagnostic tests: What you need to know!
Cancer is suspected as per the person’s symptoms. The next step that follows is the thorough diagnosis of cancer which is crucial before initiating personalized therapy. Different tests are available to detect the type, location and staging of cancer. These tests are performed either by a physician, radiologist or oncologist. Time and again, new diagnostic tools have been developed along with improvements in the prevailing methods. Some of the commonly used diagnostic tests or methods are as under: Biopsy: A biopsy is done by obtaining a small tissue surgically from the speculated area and examining it under the microscope to confirm the presence of cancer cells. As this is an outpatient procedure, there is no need for a hospital stay at night. As biopsies can be painful, a local anaesthetic can be used. There are several ways to perform Biopsies; these are: Needle biopsy: Here, the tissue or fluid is removed via a needle. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) can be effective for f...