Can blood tests rule out cancer??

[pinkpiglet]

I'm on nights and I have spent the past hour googling my symptoms! Why the hell do we do this??
I am convinced I have stomach or ovarian cancer as I am always burping, my upper abdomen is very swollen (constantly) and lately I have been feeling vaguely nauseous and weak. I recentky had some tests done with my gp as my periods have become really very heavy. I went for my results and my GP said QUOTE 'your results are clear, i tested you for cancer and that is clear too, you dont have cancer' Now excuse me for been idiotic but I didnt know that a blood test can test for cancer & surely if it was this easy to rule cancer out then wouldnt less people catch cancer earlier??
I dont get it!!

[pinkpiglet]

I meant to say 'wouldnt many peoples cancer be caught earlier?'

[Peter_Scott]

Hi OP,

In a way you are right simple blood tests can not rule out cancer, BUT they can give a good indication of how your body is working and a good doctor can look at blood test results and see if they indicate the need for further tests. Different cancers can change your blood chemistry and normal results are reassuring as regards the chances of anyone having cancer.

There are blood tests that a doctor can run to look for cancer markers these are useful to rule out certain cancers.

Try to be reassured, this is what your doctor is trying to do, as a good doctor will know what to look for in a blood test and determine if more testing needs doing or not,


Peter

[Zee]

Agree with Peter. I had FBC 2 months ago and mine were good. I asked , so does that mean nothing nasty is going on?. Response was.. from these results you are physically very well and there is nothing to indicate further tests needed.

[randomworry]

the goal in overcoming health anxiety is not to be 100% absolutaly sure but to be able to live with the doubt so pinkpiglet your doctor says you dont have cancer so you dont. please try and stop googling now

[countrygirl]

Your Dr might have done the CA125 ovarian cancer marker blood test with other tests and if all your tests were normal then you almost certainly do not have ovarian cancer. You could ask your Dr what tests he did to rule out ovarian cancer - this might help you in short term but as previous poster said being able to live with slight uncertainty is sign your health anxiety is better something we all wish for!

Did your Dr give any reason for your symptoms?

[snuggles1972]

Yes stop googling. IT's bad!

[robinhoods123]

Well, From my opinion, is no, a normal blood test cannot rule out cancer. A blood test is like a snap shot in time that tells you many things, but cancer takes a lot of time to develop. 99% of ALL cancer is due to infection. I agree with some of the posts here that you most likely have a swollen lymph gland or two. The lymphatic system is a circulatory system without a pump. It is responsible for carrying away the debris, including cancer cells, etc.

[oneofus]

Well, From my opinion, is no, a normal blood test cannot rule out cancer. A blood test is like a snap shot in time that tells you many things, but cancer takes a lot of time to develop. 99% of ALL cancer is due to infection. I agree with some of the posts here that you most likely have a swollen lymph gland or two. The lymphatic system is a circulatory system without a pump. It is responsible for carrying away the debris, including cancer cells, etc.

No test can rule out cancer completely, any result is an indicator one way or the other. BUT the indicator can vary in its strength and blood tests are a strong indicator of the health of the body, including cancerous cells since they break off into the bllod system from their primary site - that's how cancer can spread around the body.

Cancers are NOT usually caused by infection, nowhere near 99%. They are caused when the body's cell chemistry goes awry and cells divide like a run away train, that can be due to to your genetic make up, chemicals (including smoking and alcohol), radiation (including sunburn) etc. The only cancer than comes to mind that is triggered by an infectious agenet is the Human papillomavirus virus (HPV).

[pinkpiglet]

Thankyou for all your replies! I am going to have to stop worrying but i am going to mention my swollen abdomen. Maybe its just due to me been so over weight. I have cut out meals during the day and I am snacking instead, this had reduced my gas (obviously) but my gut it still swollen, i look five to 6 monts pregnant so that cant be good. Thanks once again!!!