The first step to diagnosing a blood disorder or cancer begins with a physical examination by your provider. Your doctor will look for signs of infection, examine your body and review your health history. If necessary, your physician may order additional tests to determine if a blood disorder or cancer is present. Biopsy– samples of your cells are collected and sent to a pathologist in a lab to examine, looking for abnormal cells or changes in the genetic make-up of your cells. For blood-related disorders or cancers, biopsies can be taken from your lymph nodes or your bone marrow for further evaluation. Imaging Scan– while not always best suited for identifying blood cancers, imaging scans can help find enlarged lymph nodes, which may indicate the presence of lymphoma. Imaging scans, like a CT scan, MRI, PET scan, X-ray or ultrasound, may not be best for identifying leukemia, since there are no visible tumors in the blood, but they may be helpful in identifying other parts of the body that have been affected by the cancer. Blood Test– the most common blood test, a complete blood count (CBC) is able to show the amounts of different levels of the types of cells in your blood: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Other blood chemistry tests check for the levels of substances in your blood and can identify any abnormal levels that would possibly indicate the presence of a blood cancer.