Diagnosing Cancer

I am in the middle of my series on several tests used in the screening and diagnosis of cancer. Many of you will be familiar with most of them whether from personal experience, observing the experience of others or simply through general knowledge. However, I am aware that some of the jargon can be confusing and even intimidating at times. As a result, I have prepared a few definitions below concerning these investigative procedures including some important terminology regarding their limitations.

So here goes;

• Diagnostic test – a test that is used to confirm a condition or disease.
• Screening test – a test that is use to assess the likelihood of a condition or disease being present in an asymptomatic patient. A positive screening test will usually prompt further testing to confirm the diagnosis.
• False positive result – a result that implies the patient has a condition or disease, in the absence of the condition or disease.
• False negative result – a result that implies the patient does not have a condition or disease, in the presence of the condition or disease.
• Sensitivity– the degree to which a test can accurately predict the presence of a condition or disease in patients who have that condition or disease.
• Specificity – the degree to which a test can accurately refute the presence of a condition or disease in patients who do not have that condition or disease.

Hope this helps to clarify some of the more important terms related to these various tests. Feel free to email me for further clarification.

Read more about Common Cancer Terms.

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