What tests will I get to monitor my health during treatment?

 

Q: What tests will I get to monitor my health during treatment? 

A: Depending upon your type of cancer and the therapies being used, several diagnostic tests will monitor how well your body is responding to treatment. You may have pathology tests conducted on tissue and fluids, blood tests, x-rays, bone scans, DEXA scans (for bone mineral density), and mammograms and ultrasounds. PET scans, performed to detect chemical and physiologic changes, are highly useful in monitoring response to therapy for many cancers. CT scans and MRIs also provide information.
--Bernice Crook, RN, OCN

Learn more about the wide range of diagnostic tests.

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November 20, 2009 — Researchers from France have reported encouraging results with adding Velcade® (bortezomib) to high-dose melphalan followed by autologus stem cell infusion for initial treatment of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. The details of this Phase II study appeared in an early online publication in Blood on November 2, 2009.

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November 20, 2009 — Researchers affiliated with the Health Professional Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study have reported that folic acid supplementation in patients with recurrent colorectal adenoma was not protective or harmful in most patients. However, patients who were folate deficient had a significant 39% decrease in adenoma recurrence. The details of this study appeared in an early online publication on October 28, 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health