What Tests Help My Doctor Find Leukemia?

To find out whether you have leukemia, your doctor does a physical examination and other tests. Sometimes a doctor finds leukemia during a routine exam. This can happen when a person doesn’t know about a problem because he or she doesn’t have symptoms.

Your doctor may feel for swelling in these areas.

• Liver

• Spleen

• Lymph nodes in the neck, under the arms, or in the groin area

Your doctor will ask you some questions. You may talk about these issues.

• Your medical history

• Your smoking history

• Your family history of cancer

• Other risk factors that you may have been exposed to

You will have blood tests, too. A doctor specializing in blood diseases may review the results. This person is called a hematologist or oncologist. If blood tests suggest you may have leukemia, your doctor may need to get a sample of your bone marrow. This test is called a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. You may need other tests as well.