Patients experiencing symptoms of cancer will need to undergo screening to diagnose their condition. The screening process will vary depending on the type of cancer, but may include blood tests, imaging, and physical exams.
Adrenal Gland Cancer Screening
Though non-cancerous tumors in the adrenal gland are common, cancers in or near the gland are rare — only one to three per one million people.
Patients with adrenal cancer may not experience any symptoms, or they may have extra hormones released by the tumor. Other patients may experience pain if the tumor presses on nearby organs.
To diagnose adrenal cancer, a physician will need to review results of CT or MRI scans and blood tests that show abnormal hormone levels.
Kidney Cancer Screening
A tumor or mass is an abnormal growth that may be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous). The three types of kidney tumors are renal cell carcinoma (RCC), benign kidney tumors, and Wilms tumors.
RCC tumors are located in the filtering part of the kidney and may form as a single tumor within a kidney or multiple tumors. Benign kidney tumors are typically non-cancerous and don’t spread to other organs.
Wilms tumors are nearly always found in children.
There isn’t a standard approach to finding kidney masses, but a few tests and procedures the patient may undergo include:
- Physical exam and medical history review
- Basic or complete metabolic panel (CMP) to look at organ function
- Complete blood count to check for signs of disease
- Urinalysis to check for blood, infection, and protein in the urine
- Ultrasound
- Tests to check serum creatinine levels and kidney function
- CT and MRI scan
- Chest X-ray and bone scan to see if the cancer has spread
- Kidney mass biopsy to identify the type of tumor
Bladder Cancer Screening
Muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) spreads into the detrusor muscle of the bladder and is likely to advance to other parts of the body. Non-muscle invasive cancer (NMIBC) affects the tissue that lines the inner surface of the bladder without affecting the muscle.
A few tests that may be done to screen for bladder cancer include:
- Urine cytology to check the color and content of urine
- Comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) test to check kidney and liver function
- CT scan
- Cystoscopy to take a tissue sample
- Rigid cystoscopy
- Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT)
- Blue light cystoscopy with TURBT
- Retrograde pyelogram
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Prostate Cancer Screening
Malignant growths in the prostate can be screened with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and a digital rectal exam (DRE). Screening is recommended for men 55-69 years old who have a family history of prostate cancer. African-American men should also undergo prostate cancer screening.
Testicular Cancer Screening
Testicular cancer is most common in men ages 15 to 44. Medical screening for testicular cancer may include a health record and physical exam to look for visible signs of cancer, testicular ultrasound to see inside the scrotum, and a blood test to check tumor markers. The patient’s tumor markers will be measured before any treatment can begin.
