Diagnosing childhood cancer with tests and scans

Our team uses the latest tests to diagnose childhood cancer, providing your family with timely, accurate answers. Our techniques and approach are designed to calm your child and support your whole family.

The specific tests we recommend depend on your child’s particular needs. Options at oinclude blood tests, tumor biopsies and scans for cancer. When needed, we can also look at genetic changes in your child, and in tumors.

Learn more about the cancers we treat.

Our approach to childhood cancer testing

At Advocate Children’s Hospital, you’ll find a full range of methods for evaluating potential cancers. Our specialized pediatric cancer centers offer:

• Individualized support: Our social workers and Child Life specialists not only help track medical care, they also support your child’s emotional and social needs. They connect the whole family with community resources that help you adjust to a cancer diagnosis.
• Organized care: We make each appointment as smooth and easy as possible. Your child’s social worker makes sure scheduled tests are set up and experts are ready each time you come in.
• Clear explanations: Our doctors, nurses and other care team members go over any complicated medical terminology you may encounter. They explain the various options for diagnosis, so you can work together and help develop the right care plan for your child.

How does pediatric cancer diagnosis start?

Diagnosis usually begins with your child’s pediatrician. The doctor may find something concerning during a routine well visit. Or you or your child might notice something unusual that doesn’t go away. Doctors typically find that most symptoms have causes other than cancer, but they want to make sure.

Your child’s pediatrician helps make this initial determination by asking about your child’s recent health, as well as other information. If your pediatrician suspects that cancer is a possibility, they help you make an appointment with our cancer center doctors.

Contact your Advocate Children’s Hospital pediatrician if you’re concerned about possible signs of cancer but your child doesn’t have a diagnosis.

Types of cancer tests and scans at Advocate Children’s Hospital

Our doctors work with you to make decisions about diagnostic tests and imaging. Our cancer centers provide most of the testing your child needs. In rare instances where highly specialized tests are needed, we connect you with other experts.

If your child ends up needing treatment, we make recommendations for ongoing testing that accounts for current symptoms and how treatment progresses. Some of the tests and imaging we provide are:

Blood tests for cancer

Your child’s doctor may recommend starting with a complete blood count (CBC) test. These tests can help rule out cancer, find blood cancers, or determine how treatment is progressing and impacting your child’s body.

The CBC counts white and red blood cells and platelets, so doctors know if the numbers sit in a healthy range. Our doctors carefully read and review the test results with your family. They explain what the numbers indicate and how they impact the next steps in diagnosis and treatment.

Scans for cancer

Scans use various kinds of energy to create pictures of what the body looks like inside. Some scans even create 3D images. Our doctors may recommend specific scans based on your child’s symptoms, including:

• X-rays: These scans use rays to create a black and white picture of the inside of the body. X-rays can help doctors find signs of cancer and track the results of treatment.
• Ultrasound: An ultrasound machine uses sound waves. Doctors can create a picture of the part of the body where cancer is suspected.
• Computed tomography (CT) scan: This scan uses X-rays to take pictures and create a 3D image. Doctors can check for tumors or other unexpected structures.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Magnetic fields create detailed pictures of the inside of the body. Doctors use this scan to check a tumor’s size.
• Positron emission tomography (PET): This scan makes pictures of internal organs and tissue using a small amount of radioactive substance that is absorbed by cancer cells. It’s sometimes combined with a CT scan.
• Radioisotope studies: Doctors use this test to find unusual cells in the body. They inject a tracer, a material with small amounts of a radioactive substance, and watch how it moves in the body.

Tumor biopsies and other diagnostic procedures

Doctors sometimes need to do a small surgery to help diagnose cancer. Some of the more common surgeries for diagnosing cancer are:

• Biopsy: Your child’s doctor may remove a small amount of tissue where they suspect the cancer is located. We can take biopsies from many parts of the body. A pathologist, a doctor with expertise interpreting lab tests, looks at the sample under a microscope to see if cancer is present.
• Bone marrow aspiration or biopsy: A doctor uses a needle to take out a sample of the bone marrow, the tissue found inside many bones. The doctor samples the marrow’s liquid (aspiration), solid tissue (biopsy) or both.
• Spinal tap (lumbar puncture): This procedure uses a needle to take fluid from the spine. Doctors can examine the fluid to see if there are cancer cells. They can also look for tumor markers, which are substances that show up in spinal cord fluid with certain types of cancer.

Other specialized cancer tests

Some tests for cancer look at specific features of cells, such as genetic changes in your child or in a tumor. These tests include:

• Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry: These tests use bone marrow or body fluids to identify the type of protein in or on cells. Doctors use this information to further describe and categorize cancerous cells.
• Genetic testing: In about 10% of cases, pediatric cancer is tied to an identifiable genetic change passed down through families. If we suspect this cause, we can discuss the possibility of genetic testing with you. Testing may also help if you already know a genetic change runs in your family that increases the risk for certain cancers. We have you speak with a genetic counselor to discuss what testing may mean for your family.
• Tumor sequencing: Genes in tumors can also change, or mutate, fueling their growth. By sampling tissue from a tumor, we can identify known mutations and find therapies that specifically target them. This evaluation also goes by molecular testing, genomic sequencing and similar names.