During a yearly doctors visit, my doctor took a blood test. I was told it was normal. That’s good, but what are they checking for?
Is cancer one of the things that a blood test can identify?
There is a test called ‘C125’ that, when showing an elevated value can indicate the presence of some sorts of tumours. It is not awfully accurate though, and needs lots of further investigations to determine whether cancer is really present or not.
Blood tests are certainly used to help diagnose some cancers, and there are blood tests that can detect or at least indicate some forms of cancer.
But in your specific case you’ll have to ask your doctor what he’s testing for
I have a biochemist friend who developed a fluid test for bladder cancer. I can’t remember exactly whether it was blood or urine, though.
“CANCER” is many different types of diseases, so the answer is yes, no, maybe, and it depends.
If this was just a yearly check-up that you went for it will be just a routine blood exam that your doctor would be doing. Looking at what’s going on in your blood gives him/her an indication of the general state of your health.
These routine blood exam’s usually show the amount and size of red and white blood cells you have, iron levels and fluids and electrolytes (sodium and pottassium levels etc).
He/she may also order other tests to be done to find out your cholesterol level (which gives a clue as to the health of your arteries), liver function tests, and if your an older person a blood glucose level will show whether you have diabetes or not.
If your doctor notes any abnormalities from these tests he may then do more specific tests to give more of a detailed idea of any possible disease process going on.
I can’t find a single webpage on which there is discussed the many varieties of blood tests for various kinds of cancer, but if you put “cancer” and “blood test” into Google, you will get many webpages discussing many different blood tests for many different sorts of cancers. I don’t think it would be standard on an annual physical to test for cancer. I think most of these tests are used when there is reason to think that someone is particularly susceptible to cancer.
I spend large chunks of every day at work looking for cancer in blood samples. Usually, though, these tests aren’t ordered unless the doctor already has a pretty good reason to suspect leukemia. They’re not done as regular screening tests. Thank heavens! They’re a pain in the ass.
But a regular blood test could find indications that may lead your doctor to do further tests to check for cancer.