Early cancer diagnosis

Skillful assessment on the part of the healthcare professionals involved, early detection of the concerned individual as well as the availability of resources from blood reagents to complex equipment such as the CT scans are the best shields available.

The American Cancer Society has recognized the mnemonics CAUTION: Change in bowel or bladder habits, A sore that does not heal, Unusual bleeding or discharge, Thickening or a lump in the breast or elsewhere, Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing, Obvious change in a wart or mole and Nagging cough or hoarseness.

Another contributing factor in order to determine possible cancer is to be wary of the risk factors; meaning, one should consider the workplace and the lifestyle, an advancing age, the genes he or she has received not only from the parents but deeper into the family tree, and also, the race where one belongs. These factors, simple as they may be might say something about the type of cancer that is likely to be contracted. It might come as a surprise but even stress can be correlated with cancer.

For the variety of cancers that have mushroomed over the years, there are specific diagnostic procedures that healthcare providers utilize. Examinations such as biopsy or excising a small strip or piece of tissue from the affected area is one, radiologic examinations or simply the use of powerful x-rays could be used to envision a certain structure of the body, getting your blood tested for the presence of certain chemicals will absolutely help as there are some indicators of cancer present in the blood and more importantly, employing the use of advanced gadgets such as Computed Tomography (CT) Scan, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) will cover a great aspect when dealing with difficult diagnosis of the specific cancer involved. All three make use of nuclear technology so chances are; the very minute details are not missed out. Ultimately, the tests to determine cancer sometimes rest on the resolute determination of the naked eye; this happens when surgery is considered. The trained eye of the surgeons involved will not be at par with the complicated pixels involved in using complicated facilities but is sometimes, the only answer to knowing what is really wrong with an individual. This is also true with breast examinations, digital rectal examinations and other clinical examinations which sometimes need the gut feel of the doctor.

In the final analysis, the human intellect we get from our doctors and their staff will, in the end, be the determining factor for one to know if cancer does exist or not.