| Popis: |
When a patient has symptoms that could be indicative of cancer a clinical oncologist will perform a series of tests to reach an accurate diagnosis. The gold standard method for reaching a final diagnosis frequently involves locating and extracting tissue biopsies, which are then processed and studied at the cellular level by a pathologist. From this procedure a pathology report will be compiled that contains the diagnosis of the cancer type and grade. Deep penetration, low-resolution, imaging tests (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging MRI) scans, computed tomography (CT) scans, Ultrasound, etc.) can track the extent and spread of disease and serve as an initial screen for disease in tissues that are not easily accessed using conventional biopsy or optical imaging techniques (e.g. periphery lung, pancreas, small intestine). However, to date, these low resolution imaging tests have not been able to be used as stand alone diagnostic tests because they lack the ability to visualize disease at the cellular level and thus have been unable to match the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis based upon biopsied tissue processed into histopathology slides. Finally, by compiling the data obtained from all these tests, the oncologist can determine the stage of the cancer (i.e., the severity or extent of the cancer) and use this information to provide the patient with a prognosis and course of treatment. |
