While most people might think that cancer diagnosis and screening for cancer are the same, diagnosis of cancer is actually performed for symptomatic individuals in several means such as blood test, urine test, imaging test, and biopsy to confirm the presence of cancer whereas screening of cancer is done regularly as a body check for high-risk individuals who do not show any signs of cancer but have a family history of cancer.
| Diagnosis of Cancer | Screening for Cancer | |
| Target | Symptomatic Individuals | Asymptomatic Individuals |
| Aims |
In case of any cancer suspicion, individuals are advised to seek medical help from family doctor or general practitioner. Doctor will first review on your medical and family history, perform basic physical examination, and then order other types of examinations if necessary.
Our centre offers a wide range of examination for diagnosis of cancer. Should you receive any referral letters, please send us a copy via WhatsApp (852) 6168 9195 and our team will advise you on the most appropriate investigation needed for accurate diagnosis. Here is the introduction of different means for diagnosing cancer.
Most people might think that only one examination is needed for confirming the diagnosis of cancer, yet doctors rely on more than one to confirm whether the signs and symptoms are induced primarily from the cancer. Taking breast cancer as an example, even when calcification is suspected by doctor from a 3D mammogram, further investigation with fine needle aspiration or core biopsy is often needed to differentiate whether it is benign or malignant.
Common tests for diagnosing cancer includes blood test, urine test, imaging test, biopsy and genetic test. Apart from diagnosing cancer, these investigations can also localise the primary site, differentiate the specific cancer cell type, perform cancer staging, identify whether there is metastasis, formulate treatment plan, monitor disease progression and detect recurrence. Below is the information regarding different tests.
Through performing routine tests such as blood test and urine test to examine the change of concentration of different metabolites, doctors can deduce the proper functioning of different organs. However, a positive result does not directly confirm the presence of cancer and doctor will perform further investigations to confirm the diagnosis.
Moreover, to monitor the side effects of cancer treatment and overall health status, cancer patients will undergo regular blood test throughout the entire course of treatment to observe the change in red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet cells.
Patients should always be aware of the use of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level in monitoring treatment progress and detecting recurrence rather than making a diagnosis. Numerous health conditions such as acute hepatitis, urethritis, pregnancy may also trigger a rise in CEA level. Should there be any concerns, patients should always seek medical help from doctors.
Imaging tests for diagnosing cancer generally includes ultrasound, CT, PET/CT and MRI. Different types of imaging modalities have their own strengths and limitations. Patients should seek advice from doctors for the most appropriate tests needed for accurate diagnosis at different stage of the disease.
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Biopsy is commonly performed to confirm the diagnosis of cancer. Doctors will first take out a small sample of pathological tissue and pathologists will examine it under a microscope to determine whether it is a cancer type.
There are 3 methods for biopsy
Sample of tissue taken from biopsy cannot only be used to identify pathological change, but also test for genetic mutation. Liquid biopsy is a fast, cheap and non-invasive approach to tumour molecular profiling without having to obtain tumour tissue by performing genetic testing with blood sample, which is useful for targeted therapy. It is particularly helpful among patients who have poor health conditions or is not suitable for undergoing surgery. However, liquid biopsy is still limited in usage due to its low sensitivity.
With the emergence of an advanced DNA sequence technology (next generation sequencing), entire human genome can be sequenced within a single day using the DNA sample taken from liquid biopsy or traditional biopsy, facilitating the formulation of an effective target therapy.
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