CBC - Complete Blood Count
This test is usually ordered as part of a routine medical exam. The CBC monitors the cellular elements in your blood such as the infection fighting white blood cells (WBC), the oxygen carrying red blood cells (RBC), and platelets, which aid in the clotting process. It also gives a measure of hemoglobin (HGB) the actual iron binding material inside the RBC.

To the oncology patient the CBC is a very important test. It is the direct reflection of what is happening in the bone marrow. Much of the treatment that a cancer patient receives has an impact on the bone marrow, which in turn is reflected in the CBC. The CBC is used not only to monitor treatment effects. It is used to monitor disease states such as the several forms of leukemia, anemia, and hereditary blood disorders.

WBC - White Blood Count
This test is a part of a CBC and is a count of the actual number of white blood cells per volume of blood. The WBC differential looks at the types of white blood cells present. There are five different types of white blood cells, each with its own function in protecting us from infection. The differential classifies a person's WBCs into each type: neutrophils, which fight bacterial infection (also known as segs, or grans), lymphocytes, the cells of the immune system which fight viral infections, monocytes, the cells that are on garbage detail that help tidy up the blood and tissues, and the eosinophils and basophils that respond to allergies.

Platelet Count
This test is often a part of the CBC. It is ordered when a patient has unexplained bruises or takes a long time to stop bleeding from a small cut or wound. Chemotherapy and some certain drugs can cause a decreased in the platelet count. Patients at risk for bleeding are monitored closely to maintain their platelet count at an acceptable level.

CA-125
This test is used to monitor therapy during treatment for ovarian cancer. It is also useful to monitor possible disease progression after treatment is complete. It may also be used to follow high-risk women who have a family history of ovarian cancer but who do not yet have the disease.

CA-27-29
This test is used to monitor the response to treatment for breast cancer. It is also useful to monitor for recurrence of breast cancer after diagnosis and initial therapy.

Iron Tests
Iron is needed to help form red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. Iron is an important part of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that binds to oxygen in the lungs and then releases it as blood flows to other parts of the body. Low iron levels can lead to anemia, in which the body does not have enough red blood cells or hemoglobin. Other conditions, some inherited, can cause you to have too much iron in your blood. This too needs to be monitored because of the strain it can put on the liver.

PSA
The American Cancer Society recommends that this test be performed on men beginning at age 50 on an annual basis. It is used to confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer and to watch for recurrence of prostate cancer after diagnosis and initial therapy.