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Tests and scans

There are many different types of tests or scans you might have to find out if you have cancer. The type you need depends on the symptoms you have and the part of the body affected. You might also have these to monitor your cancer during and after treatment.

Go to our cancer types page to find information about tests for a specific type of cancer.

A
- Anal examination (anoscopy) and biopsy
B
- Barium x-ray
- Biopsy
- Biopsy for pancreatic cancer
- Biopsy of the eye
- Blood tests
- Bone biopsy
- Bone density scan (DEXA, DXA)
- Bone marrow test
- Bone scan
- Brain angiogram
- Breast biopsy
- Breast ultrasound scan
- Bronchoscopy
C
- CT colonography
- CT scan
- CT urogram
- Capsule endoscopy
- Cervical biopsy (cone biopsy)
- Cholangiography
- Colonoscopy
- Colposcopy
- Cystoscopy
D
- Dermoscopy
- Draining fluid from your chest or tummy
E
- ECG (electrocardiogram)
- ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography)
- Echo (echocardiogram)
- Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
- Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)
- Endoscopic ultrasound for lung cancers
- Endoscopy
- Examination of your anus and rectum (back passage)
- Examination of your prostate
- Eye examination
F
- FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridisation)
- FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test)
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy
- Fluorescein angiogram of the eye
G
- Gastroscopy
I
- IVU or IVP (intravenous urogram or intravenous pyelogram)
K
- Kidney biopsy
L
- LLETZ
- Laparoscopy
- Laryngoscopy
- Liver biopsy
- Lumbar puncture
- Lymph node biopsy guided by ultrasound
M
- MIBG scan
- MRCP and MRI scan
- MRI scan
- Mammogram
- Mediastinoscopy
- Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) scan for prostate cancer
N
- Nasoendoscopy
- Needle biopsy for thyroid cancer
- Needle biopsy through the skin for lung cancer
- Neuroendoscopy
O
- Octreotide scan
P
- PET scan
- PET-CT scan
- PET-MRI scan
- PSA test
- Panendoscopy
- Pelvic examination
- Pelvic examination under anaesthetic
- Pelvic ultrasound scan
- Penile dynamic sentinel lymph node biopsy
- Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC)
R
- Radioactive scans for neuroendocrine tumours (NETs)
S
- Sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma skin cancer
- Surgical biopsy for lung cancer
T
- Thoracoscopy and pleural biopsy
- Tissue typing
- Transperineal biopsy
- Transrectal ultrasound scan (TRUS) and biopsy
- Transvaginal ultrasound scan
U
- Ultrasound scan
- Ureteroscopy
V
- Vaginal biopsy
- Video of your throat and larynx (transnasal oesophagoscopy)
- Video of your vocal cords (videostroboscopy)
- Vulval biopsy
W
- Womb biopsy
X
- X-ray