Blood Drug Testing

If there is a possibility that you have cancer..will it show up in your standard blood tests?

By standard I mean blood panels that you would have done in the emergency room. I am bleeding somewhere in my digestive system and I am going to see my physician..but I'm nervous and want some other input..thank you.

Public Comments

1. Depends on the type of cancer, but based on the little input your giving in terms of what is going on, i wouldn't worry about it. You wouldn't typically get bleeding from cancer in your digestive tract. There are many other more plausible and common reason for blood in the GI tract. so please relax. the stress your causing from worrying is probably making it worse if it is due to an ulcer.
2. No, it will not show up in a standard test. Doctors have to actually test for a specific disease or cancer. A standard test can show abnormalities which will alert medical personnel, then they can do more testing. But it's not a guarantee. This is why so much testing is always required to discover a disease. Also, doctor rely on symptoms to determine diseases and cancer also. The more accurate you are with the explanation of your symptoms, the better they can rule out other problems and conclude the one that's present.
3. It will not show up in a standard blood test, the doctor needs to ask for specific things. Bleeding in the digestive system could be anything from a broken blood vessel to polyps etc. They can take a cat scan or an MRI and will determine where it comes from. Was your stool red or black, black is much more serious.It's good that you see your doctor and get it cleared up. Good Luck
4. The short answer for your situation is "no". Standard blood tests only measure certain body chemical balance. However, a standard blood test can indicate leukemia by concentration of white blood cells. Also, a standard blood test for older men and those with family history of prostate cancer looks at the levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA). For those already diagnosed with colon cancer (carcinogenic embyronic antigen - CEA) or some other cancers, they can look at the levels for other cancer specific antigens. Again, those are not standard tests and will only be performed under the proper circumstances. If you have blood coming from your digestive tract, chances are your physician will recommend a colonscopy (from the bottom up ) and/or endoscopy (from the top down). Additional tests may include a CAT scan, MRI or, even swallowing the "pill camera". There are many possible reasons for blood coming from your digestive trait including benign ones such as hemmoroids. I hope you get a accurate and positive diagnosis. There is nothing worse than not knowing.
5. cancer itself will not show up, but plenty of signs may. Low or high WBC, anemia, etc.. first line blood work usually creates more questions than it answers and your doctor will follow up with other blood tests and diagnostic exams more specific to cancer