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What is a nuclear medicine scan?

Generally speaking, nuclear medicine scans are considered as branch of medical imaging that uses small amounts of radioactive material to diagnose and determine the severity of or to treat a variety of diseases, including many types of cancers, heart disease, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurological disorders and other abnormalities within the body.

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What cancer symptoms are linked to the diagnosis of specific cancers?

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It is not common to find signs and cancer symptoms in all types of cancers until they have developed into large tumours. By this time, it is putting pressure on surrounding nerves and tissues, or hindering the blood supply to the normal cells. The tumour can also block the function of the organ.

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Detecting Cancer

Detecting cancer screening tests are usually not meant for the diagnosis of cancer. They give an indication for further tests in order to confirm the existence of cancer. The confirmation tests are actually what are referred to as Cancer Diagnostics Tests, which normally includes using body fluids such as blood and urine, and also biopsies obtained from the suspected cancer sites, for pathological and genetic tests. Endoscopy (introduction of instruments into the cavities of the body and obtain pictures for observation) and more sensitive imaging procedures for further evaluation. The summary of the different diagnostic tests is displayed in the flow chart below: Read More

Blood Test for Cancer Detection

Blood test for cancer are not recommended as exclusive diagnostic tools for cancer detection. Other diagnostic methods are utilized in combination to detect the presence of the disease. Although, blood tests do not provide conclusive information about detection of cancer. They are use to identify cancer markers, also called tumor markers or biomarkers, in the blood, which provide useful clues for screening high-risk individuals for specific types of cancer.

The advantage here is that tumor markers, in most instances, appear in the blood before an individual begin to exhibit symptoms. Furthermore, tumor markers can be use to improve strategies for treatment of an already develop cancer. For example, doctors may use a tumor marker test result to decide whether to include therapies such as immunotherapy or chemotherapy to a pre-existing treatment in order to enhance therapy efficacy.

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Urine Test for Cancer

Urine test for cancer utilizes midstream urine sample to detect disease  in  body, which includes different types of infections.  In this case, urinalysis is used to check if there is blood in the urine as an indication of infection or if certain types of drugs are present. The tests analyze urine by physical, microscopical and biochemical techniques. If a cancer diagnosis is being sought, the cells are collect from the urine by centrifugation (a process use to separate the cells from the liquid urine) and a special microscope is utilize to examine cells and plausible cancer activity they exhibit and this is refer to as urine cytology test.

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Genetic Testing for Cancer

Genetic Testing for Cancer plays vital role in diagnosing cancer. Approximately 5 to 10 percent of developed cancers are cause by inherit genetic variants of specific genes. Genetic mutations play a vital role in all cancers. Investigators have associated mutations in specific genes with more than 50 hereditary cancer syndromes, which are disorders that make individuals susceptible to developing specific cancers. Specific genetic factors done via genetic testing for cancer, together with environmental cues, medical history, and lifestyle habits may interact in different ways to produce a particular type of cancer.

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Endoscopy for Cancer Detection

An endoscopy is a procedure in which a doctor uses an instrument consisting of a flexible tube connected to a light and a camera (endoscope) to view abnormalities in the internal hollow organs of the body, such as the upper and lower digestive system, the respiratory tract, the cervix and the uterus. The camera takes pictures of the walls of the cavities of these organs which are then viewed on a colour TV monitor. Additionally, the equipped with a tool which allows a surgeon to use the procedure to operate on the internal organs and vessels of the body without making large surgical cuts or incisions.

 Endoscopy is useful, in that it allows removal of a piece of tissue (obtaining biopsy) at a suspicious cancer site during the procedure for further examination. Further, it is possible to remove small growths such as polyps during the procedure. The picture below shows an assembly of upper endoscopy setup:

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Cancer Screening

Cancer screening means performing cancer tests in individuals to check if cancer might be present. Screening enables cancer to detect at very early stage, such as calcium deposition (calcification) phase and in an organ-specific location, making it easier to treat, compare to a cancer that had develop to advance stages and spread to other vital organs or the lymph nodes (the system that cleans infections from fluids and transports them in the body).

If a recommend screening time for cancer is ignored until symptoms begin to show, by this time, cancer would have enlarge and possibly invade other organs, making it difficult to treat. This reduces the chances of successful therapy. Screening tests are not commonly use for cancer diagnosis; if a positive result is obtain; more tests are performed to confirm that an individual has cancer.

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