Unveiling Cancer Detection Methods: Your Guide to the Medical Maze

Urinalysis

An individual who exhibits symptoms of certain types of cancer may need to have a urinalysis. Urinalysis is a laboratory test performed on a patient's urine that measures the number of blood cells, chemicals, and proteins contained within it. The most prevalent symptom among patients affected by bladder cancer is referred to as hematuria. This is when an individual has blood spilling into their urine that the naked eye or a microscope can detect. A urinalysis can confirm if the urine discoloration is caused by hematuria or another mechanism. Certain types of cancer in the body can cause abnormal substances or abnormal quantities of substances to spill into the patient's urine. Newer methods can use urinalysis to identify the presence of certain proteins known to be tumor markers for bladder cancer. Abnormal levels of glucose or white blood cells in the urine can also indicate malignancy in other organs.

Endoscopy

Patients may receive an endoscopy when their doctor is testing them for cancer. The precise endoscopy they will need depends on what part of their body needs to be examined. For instance, a colonoscopy is a form of endoscopy that examines a patient's colon. It is the most common test used to screen patients for colon cancer. An upper endoscopy looks at the lining of a patient's esophagus, stomach, and the first part of their small intestine. Endoscopies involve the use of an endoscope, which is a thin and hollow tube that can be flexible or firm. They often have lights on the end, and some have a video camera to project images to a computer screen for doctors to see. In addition, certain types of endoscopies also allow the doctor to take a tissue biopsy.