Question 1

elderly mom has been losing weight, feels fatigued, but no loss of appetite or other symp's. would cancer show up in routine blood tests? worried.

Accepted Answer

No: There is no routine blood test that reveals cancer, though suspicion may be raised with certain blood test results. A comprehensive evaluation by a health care provider is necessary given these symptoms.

Question 2

can xrays and blood tests show or detect cancer? can xrays and blood tests show cancer? what are the best ways to detect cancer?

Accepted Answer

It : It depends what kind of cancer.  There are some types of cancer that can be detected by special blood tests, although many of these tests can be abnormal in other conditions too and they are mostly used to check up on people who already are diagnosed cancer in whom the doctor knows that the blood test is abnormal because of the cancer.

Mammography is now the only proven x-ray study for screening people without cancer in order to find a new cancer (breast) early.  However, there are studies being done to see if ct scans can help diagnose more early lung cancers in people at high-risk like heavy smokers.

Other than mammography, most imaging studies are used only when someone has some sort of suspicious symptom or other finding in order to determine if a tumor is the cause of the problem.  They are also used for "staging" after a cancer has been diagnosed which means to look to see where the cancer might have spread.  Finally, imaging tests might be used to follow how well a treatment is working or to look for a recurrence after treatment has stopped.

The problem with imaging studies is that most of them can only find a tumor that is a few millimeters in size.  This is already hundreds of millions of cancer cells.

You need to talk to your doctor about cancer screening.  She or he can discuss the appropriate screening tests for you which depend on your age, gender, environmental exposures, and family history.  These may include things like a psa test and rectal exam for prostate cancer, mammography or other images for breast cancer, a blood test and pelvic exam for uterine cancer, a pap smear for cervical cancer, a stool test and/or colonoscopy for colon cancer, or others.

Question 3

do blood tests show signs of cancer?

Accepted Answer

Depends on type: There are some types of cancer that have specific blood tests that are very good at detecting them. But basic lab tests done for general purposes are often normal in people with cancer.

Question 4

can cancer always show up in blood tests?

Accepted Answer

Not all cancers: Most cancers are not detected in the blood initially.  There are a few that produce markers that allow us to screen patients for cancer with a blood test.  Prostate cancer is the most common.  There are some blood markers that are used to detect GI cancers as well as to follow patients with gyn cancers as well as breast.  Testicular cancer also has commonly used markers. Must be in context of case.

Question 5

do blood tests/ct scans show if you have cancer in the results?

Accepted Answer

Suggestion: Most blood tests and/or medical imaging will only suggest possible cancer. Confirmation is only through tissue analysis/ biopsy/ aspirate, etc. Hope it helps.

Question 6

how common/rare is it to still have bone marrow cancer/leukemia even after all the specific blood tests done to look for it are normal?

Accepted Answer

Not common : And I would say non existant, you need to stop worrying and chasing such diagnosis, if you are anxious about it, see a psychiatrist, for own well being, wish you well

Question 7

is it possible to have something wrong with your thyroid like nodules, goiter or cancer if blood tests show thyroid levels are ok?

Accepted Answer

Thyroid: If you have nodules etc. the lab tests won't tell much and you may need imaging.

Question 8

if a person has cancer (of any kind),like stomach,or esophagus, will their blood tests at a checkup be great & normal? or show indication of sickness?

Accepted Answer

Blood test may be: normal. Blood tests usually do not detect cancers. Secondary effects of cancer may show in a blood test, such as anemia. A normal regular blood tests does not rule out cancer and an abnormal test does not mean cancer. Each cancer has its own diagnostic tests, and most require a biopsy reading by a pathologist.

Question 9

i have a psa done once each year.  along with various other blood tests, this is purely a routine check.  however, as a matter of interest, is it true that the psa level never falls if a person has prostate cancer?

Accepted Answer

See below. : IF an elevated PSA is due to prostate cancer, then in the absence of treatment, one would not expect a significant, reproducible decline keeping in mind that there can be PSA variations within the body of 10-20%; not uncommon to have variations both within a specific lab and/or between different labs; and that one can have prostate cancer with PSA variations occurring for unrelated reasons.

Question 10

does breast cancer show up in blood tests?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Yes it does, but you have to specifically order the correct tumor marker and not all breast cancers have elevated blood levels of tumor markers.  This means that it is not a good way to monitor for breast cancer.

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Doctor answers about:

Does cancer show up in routine blood tests

A member asked:

Elderly mom has been losing weight, feels fatigued, but no loss of appetite or other symp's. would cancer show up in routine blood tests? worried.

A member asked:

Can xrays and blood tests show or detect cancer? can xrays and blood tests show cancer? what are the best ways to detect cancer?

A member asked:

Do blood tests show signs of cancer?

A member asked:

Can cancer always show up in blood tests?

A member asked:

Do blood tests/ct scans show if you have cancer in the results?

A member asked:

How common/rare is it to still have bone marrow cancer/leukemia even after all the specific blood tests done to look for it are normal?

A member asked:

Is it possible to have something wrong with your thyroid like nodules, goiter or cancer if blood tests show thyroid levels are ok?

A member asked:

If a person has cancer (of any kind),like stomach,or esophagus, will their blood tests at a checkup be great & normal? or show indication of sickness?

A member asked:

I have a psa done once each year. along with various other blood tests, this is purely a routine check. however, as a matter of interest, is it true that the psa level never falls if a person has prostate cancer?

A member asked:

Does breast cancer show up in blood tests?

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