It is common for a doctor to order for blood tests if you have symptoms that might point out possible cancer. This is despite the fact that cancer diagnosis is rarely possible through a blood test. Well, the blood tests are used to check for signs of cancer and how well your organs are functioning to give a leeway for further probing and cancer diagnosis. Here are the blood tests commonly used to diagnose cancer;
Blood protein testing
This is a test on blood that measures the total amounts of two types of the proteins in the body-albumin and globulin. The test is used to detect any abnormal immune system proteins and the results are used to recommend for further screening if need be. It precedes other tests such as a biopsy to confirm any suspected diagnosis.
Circulating tumor cell tests
The test is used to detect any cancer cells that may have broken away from the original cancer site and are floating in the bloodstream. It is usually conducted on people who have been diagnosed with cancer before.
Complete blood count test
The test measures the amount of various types of blood cells in the body. Presence of either too many or too few particular blood cells or even abnormal cells in the blood can expose an underlying blood cancer.
Tumor marker test
The test is used to detect the chemicals made by tumor cells in the body referred to as tumor markers. This test is the least preferred because there is a high probability of turning in a false positive in diagnosis. This is because some normal cells sometimes produce tumor markers.