Introduction

 

The first sign that you could have cancer may come from a routine screening test (such as a mammogram or colonoscopy), a health exam to identify the cause of a symptom or problem, or a procedure to treat another condition. 

If your doctor believes that you could have cancer, he or she will order several different kinds of tests to confirm that you have cancer and not another disease or condition, identify the kind of cancer you have, and find out how far the cancer has spread. After using these tests to diagnose, or identify, your cancer, your doctor might use more tests to find the best treatments for your disease, track your treatment progress, and monitor your overall health.

Explore the links in the column to the right to learn about cancer screening and diagnosis, the various tests you may need, and important questions to ask about your diagnosis and testing.

Latest Cancer News
Vaccine Against HPV-16 Effective for Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia

November 6, 2009 — Researchers from the Netherlands have reported that vaccination with synthetic long-peptides against human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 was effective in treating vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN). The details of this study were published in the November 5, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Small HER2-positive Breast Cancers Have a Higher Risk of Recurrence

November 6, 2009 — Researchers from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Milan, Italy, have reported that women with Stage T1a,b, N0M0 HER2-positive breast cancers have a have a high recurrence rate without the administration of adjuvant chemotherapy or Herceptin® (trastuzumab). These data suggest that these women should be treated with Herceptin®-based adjuvant chemotherapy. The details of these two studies appeared in early online publications on November 2, 2009 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Alcohol May Reduce Risk of Thyroid Cancer

November 6, 2009 — Researchers affiliated with the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study have reported that alcohol intake may reduce the risk of thyroid cancer. The details of this study appeared in the November 4, 2009 issue of the British Journal of Cancer.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health