Cancer Screening

Genomics testSome cancers never cause symptoms or become life-threatening, but if discovered through our screening test, cancer can be dealt with and treated.

Genetic tests target mutations (changes) in the DNA of cancer cells. Knowing whether cancer has a particular mutation can help determine the type of treatment that a person receives. The presence or absence of certain mutations can predict who may benefit from certain drugs and who is not likely to respond.
Know this, Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. Multiple factors may contribute to this uncontrolled growth. One such factor is the malfunctioning of proteins involved in controlling cell growth and maturation. The proteins usually malfunction as a result of a mutation in the DNA of the gene that codes for that protein. Some mutations may result in a defective protein that cannot stop cell growth while other mutations may produce a protein with an altered function that stimulates cell growth. The net result is not examined growth and division of these abnormal cancer cells.

There are more than 100 types of cancer. Types of cancer are usually named for the organs or tissues where the cancers form, but they also are described by the type of cell that formed them.

We look at all cancers, all stages. It is important to remember that when your doctor suggests a screening test, it does not always mean he or she thinks you have cancer. Cancer screening tests are performed when you have no cancer symptoms.

dna-testingDNAtesting1 screening includes the following:

A  physical exam and look at family history

Laboratory tests can be saliva swab test

Genetic tests can be performed in the comfort of your doctors’ office

Risk scores can easily be calculated for anyone whose genome has been analyzed

 

 

Screening tests can help find cancer at an early stage before symptoms appear. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat or cure. By the time symptoms appear, cancer may have grown and spread. This can make cancer harder to treat or cure.

    

 

  The information on this site is educational and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your physician if medical advice, diagnosis or treatment is needed. Healthcare Testing Solutions lab tests may or may not alert you and your doctor to serious medical conditions and are not intended to be a substitute for a physician’s examination.