Do blood tests detect cat cancer?

That's a great question. Yes and no. Certain values might help us determine if there's a risk or an indication of cancer. But I typically say that there's not an exact cancer test on routine blood work. The thing with cancer is it can hide, and many times that can come up from pet to pet that the blood work looks great, but the pet still has a huge problem going on. It depends on the type of blood work that's run. One of the viral tests, feline leukemia, can be determined by a blood test. We worry about that causing cancer in cats.

Unfortunately, there's no single test for cancer. However, certain indicators on blood work might suggest the possibility of cancer. As always, we compare our findings with the patient's baseline lab tests, clinical signs, and physical exam results.

There are markers that help lead us toward cancer, but there is no one blood test for cancer. It is an impossible question because people always want to know if their pet has cancer and there is no one test for that.