How is Cancer Diagnosed?
Sometimes an infection can be the cause of many of the same symptoms cancer produces. That’s why your provider will need to conduct multiple tests to accurately diagnose your condition. Diagnosis starts with your provider giving you a physical exam and finding out about your family history. Based on what they find, they will discuss next steps with you and explain the tests they think are needed. These may include any of the following:
Imaging Tests
Imaging procedures are painless and are often the first step in determining a patient’s condition. Central Maine Healthcare’s partnership with Shields Health Care allows us to offer a variety of imaging services including x-rays, PET scans, CT scans, and MRI. We feature some of the best MRI technology in the region, with the open-bore MRI scanner at Central Maine Medical Center providing extra space for maximum patient comfort and sharp clarity for more accurate diagnoses. Our mobile open bore MRI allows us to provide this same comfort and accuracy at our critical access hospitals, Rumford Hospital and Bridgton Hospital.
Lab Tests
Cancer often produces what providers call markers. These chemicals found in the blood give clues about whether cancer is present and what type it may be. Your provider may take a sample of tissue from the area they are concerned about (called a biopsy) and send it to the Cancer Care Center’s pathology lab. There, specially trained providers called pathologists will study the sample and look for cancer markers.
Endoscopic Exams
With this exam, a scope (a camera attached to a flexible tube) is inserted into an opening in your body. It allows your provider to see your organs and look for evidence of cancer. They may use the scope to also take a sample of the tissue (called a biopsy) for examination under a microscope in the pathology laboratory.
Genetic Tests
Your provider may want to learn more about the genes in your DNA. Some of these genes may provide further clues to the type of cancer you may have and how best to treat it. At the Cancer Care Center at Central Maine Healthcare, we offer genetic testing and counseling to help you understand the test and what its results may mean for you.