Question

Which one of the following techniques is safest for the detection of cancers?
A. Histopathological studies.
B. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
C. Radiography (X-ray).
D. Computed tomography (CT).

Answer 1

Hint: Cancer is a type of disease in which the cells grow abnormally and have the potential to invade or spread to the other parts of the body. There are various techniques for diagnosing the disease which include Magnetic Resonance Imagining (MRI), radiography, and computed tomography (CT).

Complete step by step answer: The disease which involves abnormal growth of the cells and has the potential to spread or invade into other parts of the body is called cancer. The tumors which spread are called malignant tumors and in contrast to it are benign tumors that do not spread.
-Depending upon the type of cell the tumors resemble they are further classified as carcinoma, sarcoma, lymphoma, germ cell tumor, and blastoma. Microscopic examination of tissue which is used to study the manifestation of the disease is called histopathology. This cannot be used as a diagnostic technique to detect cancer.
-Radiography is a diagnostic technique in which radiations are allowed to penetrate a patient's body to get a visual picture of inside body parts. Normally it is used to detect fractures in bones.
-Computed tomography is a technique in which radiations are allowed to penetrate in different angles in a patient's body to obtain a cross-sectional view of the body parts.
-As this technique also uses high magnetic radiations there is a risk of spreading the tumor. MRI uses strong magnetic fields and radiations to generate images of the organs of the body. This technique involves less risk factor and can be considered the safest method for detecting cancer.
So, option B is the correct option.

Note: Depending upon the symptoms and type of cancer the method of detection for diagnosing cancer varies. Other medical tests like blood tests and endoscopy are also used for detecting cancer in symptomatic patients. Other types of tissue tests are cytogenetics and immunohistochemistry.