Diagnostic Services

Effective cancer care depends on a complete and accurate diagnosis.  Each of our patients receives a thorough evaluation and diagnosis before we create an individualized treatment plan.  This allows us to provide the most cutting edge, effective and successful treatment plan possible.

Our physicians in the Orthopaedic Oncology Center at Washington Cancer Institute gather information from the most advanced methods to develop the fullest and most accurate diagnosis possible.  These methods include:

• Minimally invasive biopsies, to accurately identify the cancer without a complex, open and painful surgery.
• Pathology review by our expert pathologists, to identify the type of cancer at the cellular level.
• Advanced imaging, to pinpoint the tumor and possible growth of the cancer, using the most advanced technology.
• Orthopaedic radiology review by our expert orthopedic surgeons and radiologists, to examine the scans and films, and identify the location and possible growth of the tumor.

By combining these different pieces of information, our physicians can decide on the best course of treatment for each patient.  Treatment usually requires our surgical services and, for some patients, our cancer treatment services.