Oncological diseases are a large group of illnesses that arise as a result of malignant transformation of cells.

Symptoms of Cancer

Any organ of the human body can be affected, which may lead to a wide variety of symptoms. There are a number of general signs of oncology.

The most important and noticeable signs are:

• Sudden and significant weight loss.
• General weakness and lethargy.
• Subfebrile fever without apparent cause.
• Persistent pain in any part of the body.
• Detection of pathological indurations of any localization.
• A long-healing ulcer or changes in moles.
• Chronic bleeding (blood may be found in urine, stool, vomit, or coughed up) or other pathological discharge.

Of course, the presence of these manifestations does not always mean cancer, but it is an alarming sign. If you are concerned about at least one of these symptoms, you should definitely consult a doctor.

At St. Luke’s Clinic, you can undergo the necessary medical examination. Competent specialists will perform diagnostics using modern technologies and prescribe the optimal treatment regimen, if required.

What awaits you at the initial consultation?

The oncologist will listen to your complaints and conduct a detailed interview. If any of your close relatives have had cancer, be sure to inform the doctor, as a number of malignant neoplasms are, unfortunately, hereditary.

Then the doctor will conduct a subjective examination. This includes, first of all, visual inspection and palpation of the affected area, as well as listening to the lungs and heart, measuring pulse and blood pressure.

The oncologist develops a plan for further diagnostics individually for each patient.

After this, it is time for objective examination methods. These include instrumental and laboratory methods.

Instrumental diagnostic methods.

1. Ultrasound (ultrasound examination). Allows visualization of neoplasms in the abdominal cavity and small pelvis. In addition, this examination takes very little time, is minimally invasive, and causes minimal discomfort.
2. Standard X-ray examination. It is increasingly less used in practice due to the emergence of more functional and better visualizing tomographs. However, X-ray is an optimal choice if the patient has contraindications to other types of instrumental diagnostics.
3. It is also worth noting that often it is routine fluorography that allows detecting lung or mediastinal pathology and starting therapy in time.
4. CT (Computed Tomography). A modern analogue of standard X-ray examination. The tomograph scans the human body layer by layer, allowing for a clearer and more detailed image. If necessary, the computer program can convert the obtained image into a three-dimensional format. The apparatus best visualizes dense (bone and cartilage) tissues.
5. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Fundamentally differs from CT, as X-ray radiation is not used during the examination. The patient is placed in a magnetic field created by the apparatus, which has no radiation load. With the help of a magnetic resonance tomograph, any part of the human body can be examined, but it best visualizes soft tissues (muscles, brain, parenchymal organs – liver, pancreas, spleen).
6. Endoscopic examination. A kind of online examination using a small camera and a lighting device. It is an indispensable diagnostic method, for example, for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. This type of examination allows detecting stomach cancer at the earliest stages, when local cauterization of the pathological area will be sufficient for treatment.

Laboratory diagnostic methods

In other words, these are examinations conducted in a medical laboratory using various reagents.

These include:

• Standard blood, urine, and stool tests.
• Analysis of various biological fluids (bronchial lavage fluid, sputum, purulent discharge from a non-healing ulcer, cerebrospinal fluid, and others).
• Cytological analysis (assessment of the morphological structure of certain cells under a microscope). Material for examination is taken by smear, scraping, or puncture.
• Histological analysis (examination of an entire tissue sample). It is usually performed during therapy to clarify the diagnosis and select the optimal treatment method. Material for examination is taken during surgical removal of the tumor.

When the doctor prescribes an examination, you should not be skeptical or even ignore such simple methods as, for example, a complete blood count. Often, these are the ones that allow suspecting the disease at its early stage.

Treatment

After diagnosis, the doctor will immediately prescribe a treatment regimen. This may include chemotherapy, surgery, or combined treatment.

All types of treatment are carried out at our clinic. You will not have to worry about how to get to surgery or receive the necessary medication.

Why choose St. Luke’s Clinic?

• Competent and attentive specialists.
• Individual approach to each patient.
• Modern high-tech equipment.
• Prompt provision of necessary assistance.