Category FAQs Search : Cancer
Question: Why isn’t there a simple, universal test for cancer?
Answer: Because cancer cells are very similar to normal cells, and a cancer begins with a very small number of cells. In a small number of cancers, certain tests can detect early changes. The best example is cancer of the cervix (the Pap test).
Also, cancer is not one disease but a category of diseases. For example, breast cancer is much different from lung cancer, so tests to detect or diagnose it are different.
(Source: University of Rochester Medical Center, 03 Aug 2025)
Source Link: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content?contenttypeid=35&contentid=FAQGeneralCancer