For this test, a small piece of tissue is removed from the tumor and then examined under a microscope to check for the presence of cancer cells. The tissue is examined by a pathologist, a physician who is an expert at identifying the changes in body tissue caused by disease. This microscopic study of the tissue confirms or rules out a diagnosis of cancer. Blood Studies Blood studies evaluate the young person's blood and the components of the blood using a variety of tests. The white blood cells, those components of the blood that fight infection, are counted, and the number of those cells per cubic millimeter of blood is established.
Young people receiving chemotherapy generally have a lower white cell count than normal.
This test is also used to detect the presence of leukemic blasts. Hemoglobin Measurements are taken of the amount of hemoglobin, the substance in the red blood cell that carries oxygen and is responsible for the blood's red color. Lower amounts than normal of this substance in the red blood cells indicate anemia. A sudden appearance of anemia may suggest a relapse or be a side effect of chemotherapy. This is a measure of the amount of red blood cells and is expressed as the percentage of the whole blood that is made up of red cells.