Cancer Treatment

The various methods of preliminary diagnosis may reveal the presence of a tumor. But not all tumors are cancerous. Most lumps in the breast, for example, are benign (noncancerous). Doctors need to perform a test called a biopsy to make a definite diagnosis of cancer. In a biopsy, doctors remove a small piece of tissue from the tumor. In suspected cases of leukemia, they take a blood sample or remove tissue from a blood-forming organ. Experts then examine the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells.