Can An Xray Show Cancer. Chest x rays are inadequate for diagnosing lung cancers at an early stage when they are more treatable. X rays and other radiographic tests for cancer.
The radiologist doctor who specializes in reading x rays can often tell if a tumor is malignant by the way it appears on the x ray but only a biopsy can tell for sure. If lung cancer is involved chest x rays can sometimes detect larger tumors but more often than not fail to diagnose the disease. When diagnosing lung cancer chest x rays do not provide a definitive diagnosis of lung cancers at an early stage when they are more treatable.
They can also show chronic lung conditions such as emphysema or cystic fibrosis as well as complications related to these conditions.
Other names for this test. Evidence of pneumonia tuberculosis or lung cancer can show up on chest x rays. The bone at the site of the cancer may look ragged instead of solid. Chest x rays also fall short as a tool for lung cancer screening.