Does a routine blood test in emergency detect cancer?
Not usually on it’s own and not unless a request was made to check for specific markers that could be associated with a particular type of cancer. Usually an analysis of other symptoms along with a range of blood tests may confirm that there is something not quite right, which may require further detailed tests and evaluations. For instance a Full Blood Count test gives a lot of information, which in conjunction with other symptoms may establish the need for more specific tests that could identify the particular ailment more precisely. FBC measures include; – the amount of haemoglobin in the blood; – the number of red blood cells (red cell count); – the percentage of blood cells as a proportion of the total blood volume (haematocrit or packed cell volume); – the volume of red blood cells (mean cell volume); – the average amount of haemoglobin in the red blood cells (known as mean cell haemoglobin); – the number of white blood cells (white cell count); – the percentages of the different
