At the beginning of cancer diagnostics, there is a comprehensive consultation, called anamnesis, during which we talk about all aspects relevant to your disease and your general condition. It includes gathering information about current complaints, other previous diseases, family diseases, medication but also the social and psychological situation as well as individual values and expectations.
An essential aspect of gathering the information necessary is previous findings and previous medical reports. It is a huge help to get as many relevant medical reports/medical images as possible.
Generally, a thorough internal medicine examination of the whole body should be undergone within the scope of cancer diagnostics. Comprehensive laboratory tests (especially blood, in addition urine, body fluids, swabs of the mucous membrane) are necessary to assess the presumptive malignant tumor, its influence on different internal organ systems, additional diseases and suitability for different kinds of therapy.
Medical imaging can help localize tumor-suspicious nodes (space-occupying lesions) and their spreading throughout the body (metastases) to estimate the degree of the disease. The following diagnostic procedures are used:
An indispensable diagnostic means in cancer diagnostics is biopsies, which is taking samples, sometimes repeatedly, from tissue that is potentially cancerous. Partially, biopsies take place while removing tumors. Whether primary tumor surgery or a biopsy is obligatory, can only be estimated by specialized doctors working closely together. The sampled tissue is microscopically examined by a pathologist. In addition, it is often also tested on a deeper, molecular level. Pathologists search for certain metabolic characteristics or genetic changes that may be vital for targeted state-of-the-art treatments.
A specific type of biopsy is bone marrow biopsy that is performed by an oncologist at the posterior pelvic bone. It is carried out as an outpatient procedure with local anesthesia in case of presumptive leukemia or lymphoma (lymphatic cancer), and it is generally not as strenuous as one might expect.
If cancer is suspected, further examinations can be necessary to examine the body´s suitability for possible treatment options as well as to find out about potential hidden infections. We perform, for example, the following examinations:
