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Tests overview
A doctor who suspects lung cancer can use a variety of tests to diagnose the disease. Other tests are used to see whether the cancer has metastasized (spread to other parts of the body). Here are some of the tests commonly used in diagnosing and staging lung cancer:
X-rays: Your doctor may order a regular chest X-ray to look for any abnormal areas in the lungs that might be cancer. This is usually the first test a doctor will use if lung cancer is suspected. However, it generally is not sensitive enough to detect small tumors, so doctors often prescribe other imaging tests as well.
CT (computed tomography) scan: This special kind of X-ray can better visualize tumors in the lungs. This scan is sometimes used to see whether a cancer has spread to other organs in the body. It may be combined with another kind of imaging test called a PET (positron emission tomography) scan to get a more complete picture. A CT scan generally costs more than a standard chest X-ray and exposes patients to slightly more radiation.
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): This imaging test provides clear pictures but takes longer to perform than a CT scan or an X-ray and is considerably more expensive. It generally is used not to diagnose lung cancer but to search for metastases elsewhere in the body.
Bone scans: These may be used if cancer is diagnosed and doctors want to see whether it has metastasized to the bones.
Examination of cells: Cells obtained from sputum (mucus coughed up from the lungs) are examined under a microscope to see whether they contain cancer cells.
Fiber-optic examination: Under anesthesia, a tiny camera attached to a thin, flexible fiber-optic tube is inserted into the bronchial passages of the lungs to look for tumors or lesions.
Biopsy: In these procedures, a small sample of cells removed from a suspicious growth in the lungs is examined under a microscope to see whether they contain cancer cells. The tissue is generally taken one of two ways. In one procedure, a tubelike device called a bronchoscope is passed through the nose or mouth into the windpipe and then lungs. The sample is obtained through a needle inserted into the suspicious growth. Alternately, the sample may be obtained through the chest wall by a biopsy needle guided by CT imaging. You are sedated during both these procedures.
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