6 diagnostic imaging tests for cancer screening

According to Master, Doctor Tran Duc Canh - Department of Endoscopy and Functional Exploration, K Hospital (Hanoi), each individual has different ages and risk factors. When screening for cancer, you can perform imaging diagnostics appropriate for each person.

Diagnostic imaging tests during cancer screening:

First, take an X-ray.

According to Dr. Canh, X-rays are used in cancer screening. However, the limitation of X-rays is that the amount of information is not much, because the result is the superimposition of the body's image onto a plane, the lesion can be hidden.

Nowadays, X-rays are used in breast cancer screening, also known as mammography. Women aged 40 and older should have annual mammograms.

Second, ultrasound

Ultrasound is considered the most dynamic in the field of diagnostic imaging because of its many advantages such as being compact, easy to apply, low cost and recording in real time. Doctor Canh explained that the limitation of ultrasound is the sound resistance when passing through bone (calcium) and air, so examining lesions in the lungs or related to bone tumors, fractures will be difficult to record all information.

This is still the first form of screening for thyroid and breast diseases (combined with mammography) and abdominal and pelvic ultrasound is indispensable in health check-ups and early cancer screening.

Abdominal and pelvic ultrasound is considered a very useful screening test when doctors can easily see diseases such as urinary stones, gallstones, chronic liver disease, liver tumors, kidney tumors, uterine and ovarian tumors (female) and prostate tumors (male) after each scan of about 15 - 30 minutes, sometimes shorter, depending on the patient's condition, whether fat or thin.

Third, CT scan - computed tomography

Low-dose CT scans of the lungs have been widely performed on subjects with high risk factors for lung cancer (from 55 to 74 years old who have smoked or are smoking for more than 15 years). However, Dr. Canh said that you should not overuse CT in cancer screening because the risk of "eating" rays is very high.

Fourth, MRI - magnetic resonance imaging

Because it does not use X-rays, this is a virtually harmless technique. With good tissue resolution, MRI is very good at examining organs such as the brain, joints, breasts, biliary system, and pelvis, and is increasingly used in diagnosis. However, this method takes longer and is more expensive than other techniques.

Thursday, gastrointestinal endoscopy

According to Dr. Canh, endoscopy is still the gold standard in diagnosing and treating digestive diseases, especially cancers of the digestive tract including the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, pharynx, small intestine, colon, rectum and anus.

Endoscopy is the most important and effective weapon in early diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies, early detection of cancer when the tumor is still small and not yet invasive, helping treatment achieve the best results, reducing the risk of death.

Especially when digestive tract cancer lesions are detected at an early stage, patients can be treated with endoscopic resection without surgery.

Friday, ear - nose - throat endoscopy

This is a method you can use to screen for tumors in the head and neck area. Ear, nose, and throat endoscopy is a method that uses a specialized endoscope with a light and a tiny camera on the tip to insert deep into the nooks and crannies of the ear, nose, and throat area.

The endoscopic image inside will be enlarged and displayed on the TV screen, helping specialists see directly, identify the location and extent of the damage. Thereby, the doctor can accurately diagnose the cause of the disease such as tumors or inflammation and choose the appropriate treatment method.