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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