If you have a sign or symptom that might mean you have cancer, the doctor will do a physical exam and ask about your medical history.

Typically, a physician will order various tests and exams. They may include imaging procedures, which produce pictures of areas inside the body; or uses of various scopes, which allows the doctor to look directly inside certain organs; and laboratory tests. The tests needed vary depending on the type of cancer.

In most cases, the doctor also orders a biopsy, a procedure in which a sample of tissue is removed. A pathologist examines the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells.

For more information, see Types of Tests to Detect Cancer, on the National Cancer Institute Web site.