Welcome to
Together is a new resource for anyone affected by pediatric cancer - patients and their parents, family members, and friends.
Learn MoreA “workup” is a general term doctors sometimes use to describe the series of procedures used to make a diagnosis. This process takes time.
Many procedures such as blood tests and X-rays may happen during a single clinic visit. Some tests such as CT scans, MRIs, and biopsies must be scheduled for a later time. Families may go to other facilities to have them.
Many people say waiting for the results of tests is one of the most stressful parts of the diagnosis process. Depending on the type of test, it could be a few hours to a few weeks before the results are ready.
A doctor may wait until all the test results are back before discussing the information. Depending on the type of test, it may take a few hours to a few weeks before the results are ready.
When an imaging test is performed, a radiologist must read and analyze the images and prepare a report to give to the provider who ordered the tests. This process may take several days. Examples of imaging tests include X-rays, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scans, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
If a biopsy is performed, it could take a few days to a few weeks for results. The sample is sent to a pathology laboratory for analysis. Sometimes it may be sent to other specialized labs for additional testing.
Many times, a doctor may wait until all the test results are back before discussing the information. The results of one test may not provide many answers unless it is reviewed in relation to all the other tests that the child has had.
Just because the doctor has ordered tests to look for signs of cancer doesn't mean that a cancer diagnosis has been made. The provider may suspect cancer or want to rule it out as possibility.
The worry and anxiety associated with tests and waiting for scan results even has a name — scanxiety. The word has not made it into any official dictionaries yet, but it is used informally by patients, families, and medical professionals.
Urbandictionary.com has this definition: Anxiety and worry that accompanies the period of time before undergoing or receiving the results of a medical examination. Scanxiety is normal and experienced by many, if not most, patients and families.
‘Scanxiety’ is an informal term used to describe the worry many patients and families deal with before receiving the results of a medical exam.
Ways to deal with ‘scanxiety’ may include:
Distraction with activities that you enjoy can help with ‘scanxiety’.
—
Reviewed: August 2018