Diagnosis & Staging of Head & Neck Cancer
How are Head and Neck Cancers diagnosed?
There are several imaging techniques used at the FHCI to diagnose head and neck cancer. One or several of the following tests may be used:
Computed Tomography: uses special x-rays to obtain many images from different angles to determine a cancer growth on the tissues or organs.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (also called MRI): uses powerful magnets and radio waves to determine if a tissue is cancerous.
Ultrasound: exposes the body to high-frequency sound waves to produce pictures of the inside of the body in real-time, which can show the structure of the body's internal organs.
Positron Emission Tomography (also called PET): produces images based on cellular activity.
Fine Needle Aspiration: obtains cells for microscopic analysis and helps to diagnose whether or not a mass is cancerous.
Additional tests may be used to determine the diagnosis and stage of cancers of the head and neck. If the diagnosis is cancer, the doctor will want to learn the stage (or extent) of disease. Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, to which parts of the body. Staging may involve an examination under anesthesia, x-rays and other imaging procedures, and laboratory tests. Knowing the stage of the disease helps the doctor and other specialists develop the proper treatment for you.
