Overview of Tumor Testing
Cancer diagnosis and treatment almost always include some type of surgery to remove all or part of the cancer. Pathologists examine samples of the tumor to:
- confirm the presence of cancer
- categorize the cancer by type and subtype
- quantify the extent of the cancer and determine whether the entire tumor was removed
Additional testing may be performed to further study the genetic and protein makeup of the cancer. Each cancer has a unique combination of changes. Tumor tests look at these changes in cancer cells, which may provide information about a patient’s cancer, including:
- risk for recurrence following certain treatments
- how well a particular treatment is working
- whether or not specific targeted treatments may be more or less effective
This information can be used to guide treatment decisions and to help patients avoid side effects of treatments that will not work for them.
Some tests are already available in the clinical setting to help guide treatment, while others are still being tested within clinical trials.
Updated 04/25/2018
