Waiting to hear a possible cancer diagnosis can be very stressful. But a better understanding of the tests doctors use to diagnose and classify cancer may relieve some of your stress. Learning about the testing process can also help you understand how test results affect treatment options. It can also help you work with your doctors to make the best decisions about your treatment.
Much of the testing process takes place "behind the scenes." You will have a chance to meet and ask questions of most of your health care team, which may include a surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, oncology nurses, and others. You will be able to see what these professionals do. On the other hand, you rarely meet the pathologists, histotechnologists, cytotechnologists, and medical laboratory technologists whose work can tell you whether the cells in your biopsy sample are malignant (cancer) or benign (not cancer).
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