Cancer Tests and New Treatment Methods.

      Cancer is responsible for the deaths of millions of people around the world every year.  It can attack virtually any organ in the body from the skin to the lungs to the brain, and it can spread throughout the body and infect other organs and body systems.  The causes or risk factors for cancer can also vary to a high degree, with the leading agents that either cause cancer or make it more likely being carcinogenic chemicals, certain lifestyles or diets, genetic defects, and infections.  When a doctor wants to screen for cancer, they have a variety of tests at their disposal and, like most other medical diagnoses, they usually employ many of these tests to determine if a patient has cancer, what stage the cancer is at, and what kind of cancer it is.  The most commonly used tests include blood work, various imaging techniques such as CT scans or MRIs, and biopsies.  Treatment options usually include surgery to remove the tumor, chemotherapy, and anti-cancer drugs.  Recent developments in tumor-targeting methods provide much hope for treatment options that do not have many - if any - side effects.  Both tests and treatment almost always involve blood work or tests of some sort, meaning that med techs are involved in all stages for most cancer patients.