Appendix Cancer Diagnosis

Since appendix cancer often does not have symptoms in the early stages, it frequently is not diagnosed until surgery for another condition, such as acute appendicitis, or during tests for another condition.

Sometimes appendix cancer is found as part of the routine procedure after abdominal surgery for another condition. If your doctor finds what might be appendix cancer during abdominal surgery, a biopsy will be performed.

If you have symptoms that may signal appendix cancer, your doctor will examine you and ask you questions about your health; your lifestyle, including smoking and drinking habits; and your family medical history.

One or more of the following tests may be used to find out if you have appendix cancer and if it has spread. These tests also may be used to find out if treatment is working.

• Blood and urine tests
• Imaging tests, which may include: CT or CAT (computed axial tomography) scans, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans and PET (positron emission tomography) scans