11. How is lung cancer diagnosed?
Lung cancer can be diagnosed in a variety of ways:
- Image testing is where a doctor takes an X-ray of your lungs, which will show any abnormal growths.
- If you have a cough that produces phlegm, your doctor may request a sputum cytology, which is an examination of the sputum. The sputum can sometimes contain lung cancer cells, which may be detected under a microscope.
- Your doctor may also test for lung cancer by performing a biopsy, which is a small sample of an abnormal growth that’s examined under a microscope. This type of testing can reveal if the growth is cancerous, and if so, what kind of cancer it is.