Early detection of cancer can improve the chances of successful treatment and survival. Doctors use information on the symptoms and various other procedures to diagnose cancer. Imaging techniques like X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, and ultrasounds are regularly used to detect when a tumor is located and what organs can be affected. Doctors may also perform an endoscopy, a procedure that uses a thin tube with a camera and light at one end, to look for abnormalities inside the body.
The removal of cancer cells and watch them on a microscope is the only absolute way to diagnose cancer. This procedure is called a biopsy. Other types of molecular diagnostic tests are often used as well. Doctors will analyze your body sugars, fats, proteins and DNA at the molecular level. For example, prostate cancer cells release higher levels of a chemical called PSA (prostate specific antigen) in the bloodstream that can be detected by a blood test. Molecular diagnosis, biopsy and imaging techniques are used together to diagnose cancer.
After a diagnosis, doctors discover how far the cancer has spread and stage of cancer. The stage determines what options are available for the treatment and informed forecasts. The method of staging the most common cancer is called the TNM system. T (1-4) indicates the size and direct as the primary tumor, N (0-3) indicates the degree to which the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, and M (0-1) indicates whether the cancer has metastasized to other organs in the body. A small tumor that has spread to lymph nodes or distant organs can be classified into stage (T1, N0, M0), for example.
TNM descriptions then lead to a more simple steps, from 0 to 4, where lower numbers indicate that the cancer has spread less. Although the majority of Stage 1 tumors are curable, most Stage 4 tumors are inoperable or incurable.
0 comments:
Post a Comment