Blood Drug Testing

Can you have cancer that does not show up in basic blood tests?

If so then what would it show up in. Are there specific tests? This is totally hypothetical and I'm curious?

Public Comments

1. I would assume but I'd imagine that it would have to show up in some type of abnormality but not always i think. I donno.
2. Yes. Some cancers only show up on x-rays or other bone scans, some on blood tests, some in bone marrow, some in skin, and others in lymph nodes. With all the different types of cancers and the severity - there's many different places it can show up and be tested.
3. The blood test usually do not throw up a confirmed diagnosis of malignancy unless it is coming out of blood and in some case from lymphnode. The blood routine examination usually done before every cycle and during chemotherapy is for assessing patients ability to tolerate chemotherapy within acceptable limits mainly of hematological toxicities
4. ya totally - lung cancer, brain, etc wouldnt show up in tests. my grandpa had lung cancer that he didnt know about until he developed a heavy cough full of phlegm. the doctor said that was a sign. he never new he had it before that. he did eventually die of it. :(
5. There would be an indication in the case of leukemia and some lymphomas, but other than that no other cancer would show up in basic blood work. Some cancers have tumor marks that sometimes can be found in the blood, but the doctor has to order which one he or she wants run. Cancer of the colon, breast, cervix and prostate have screening exams to help find the cancer early. All other cancers are usually found because the patient discovers something wrong and goes to a doctor who runs tests to find the cause. The majority of these are found on radiology.
6. There really isn't any single blood test to detect all cancers and general blood tests cannot usually identify cancer unless a request was made to check for specific markers that could be associated with a particular type of cancer. Usually an analysis of other symptoms along with a range of blood tests may confirm that there is something not quite right, which may require further detailed tests and evaluations. This may include X-Rays, CT, MRI or PET scans. A general blood test such as a Full Blood Count can however provide a lot of information, which in conjunction with other symptoms may establish the need for more specific tests that could identify the particular ailment more precisely. FBC measures include; - the amount of haemoglobin in the blood; - the number of red blood cells (red cell count); - the percentage of blood cells as a proportion of the total blood volume (haematocrit or packed cell volume); - the volume of red blood cells (mean cell volume); - the average amount of haemoglobin in the red blood cells (known as mean cell haemoglobin); - the number of white blood cells (white cell count); - the percentages of the different types of white blood cells (leucocyte differential count); and - the number of platelets.