Tests & Screenings

Offering the latest technologies in testing and screening for cancers

The first step in a proper treatment plan is getting the right diagnosis. At Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center we can provide that for you. We offer a wide range of cancer tests and screenings at our fully equipped testing locations. Find one here. Below are some common advanced diagnostic tests and screenings. 

3D mammography

3D mammography is a procedure that uses multiple low-dose images to create a 3-dimensional view of the breast. It allows the doctor to examine the 3D breast layer by layer.

Barium enema

A physician administers a special dye called barium into the patient’s rectum and colon through the anus. An X-ray is then taken, with the barium showing up bright white, clearly outlining the colon and rectum. Abnormalities such as inflammation, polyps (precancerous growths) and cancer are then visible.

Bone marrow aspiration & biopsy

Bone marrow aspiration and bone marrow biopsy are short medical procedures in which a physician collects a sample of bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside of bones, so that it can be examined.

Bone scan

A bone scan is an imaging test in which a doctor injects a very small amount of a radioactive substance (tracer) to find or monitor cancer that started in the bones or that has spread to the bones from another part of the body.

Breast biopsy

During a biopsy, a physician removes an area of breast tissue and sends this sample to a pathologist to determine whether cancer cells are present.

Breast MRI

Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging test that uses magnets and radio waves instead of X-rays to produce very detailed, cross-sectional images of the breasts. The patient lies inside a narrow tube, face down, on a platform specially designed for the procedure.


In a colonoscopy, the doctor inserts a colonoscope, which is a flexible tube with a small video camera attached to it, into the anus so that he may look inside the entire large intestine to screen for polyps or cancerous cells.

Computed tomography (CT) scan

In a computed tomography (CT) scan, also called a CAT scan, a trained technologist positions the patient on the CT examination table. The table moves through the scanner while X-rays take highly detailed images of the body. These images are used to find out the cancer’s stage (where it is located, where it has spread and whether it is affecting the functions of other organs in the body).

Digital rectal exam (DRE)

During a DRE, the doctor gently inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum to feel for lumps, soft or hard spots, and other abnormalities. Additional tests may be needed if an area of concern is found.

Donating blood & platelets

A blood transfusion is a procedure in which blood or a blood component is transferred from one individual (donor) to another (recipient). Cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation, or the cancer itself may necessitate a transfusion. A person may choose to donate whole blood or specific parts of the blood, such as platelets or red blood cells.

Donating bone marrow

A bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure used to replace diseased bone marrow with healthy bone marrow. Collecting stem cells from bone marrow involves surgery and is done in the operating room. Donors are given anesthesia and a physician inserts needles through the skin and into the bone to draw the marrow out of the bone.

Donating umbilical cord blood

Often an effective alternative to bone marrow transplantation, donated umbilical cord blood is a possible treatment for leukemia, other cancers and immune and genetic disorders. The procedure is quick and painless; a doctor simply clamps and cuts a newborn’s umbilical cord and saves the placenta, conserving approximately 3 to 5 fluid ounces of blood containing the same hematopoietic stem cells found in bone marrow.

EKG & echocardiogram

In an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram (EKG or ECG), a nurse or medical technician places stickers (called leads or electrodes) with wires connected to them on the patient’s chest. These leads collect information about the heart’s electrical activity, which the doctor then interprets. Chemotherapy patients may need one of these tests before, during or after treatment to identify pre-existing heart conditions to identify chemotherapy-related heart damage.


Endoscopy is a procedure in which a doctor inserts a thin tube with a camera (endoscope) into the body to diagnose or, in some cases, treat a health condition.

Fecal occult blood tests

A fecal occult blood test (FOBT) is a test that may be used to search for signs of colorectal cancer or other health conditions, usually blood in the stool. The doctor will require the collection of three stool samples taken one day apart, because colon cancers may bleed from time to time, rather than consistently.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a test that uses magnetic fields, not x-rays, to produce detailed images of the body, helping a doctor find, evaluate, or monitor a cancer. The patient lies inside a narrow tube on a platform specially designed for the procedure while a doctor or trained technician initiates the scan.


Mammography is a type of x-ray that checks for breast cancer in women. The images produced by mammography, called mammograms, show small tumors or other irregularities in the breast that cannot be felt by the doctor in a conventional exam.

MUGA scan

A multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan creates video images of the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart that hold blood) to check whether they are pumping blood properly and if there are abnormalities in the size of the ventricles or the movement of the blood through the heart. It is performed by a specially trained and certified nuclear medicine technologist and supervised by a radiologist (a medical doctor who specializes in using imaging tests to diagnose disease).


A doctor gently inserts a flexible tube with a camera into the sigmoid colon through the anus to look for abnormalities inside the lower 20 inches of the sigmoid colon and rectum (also called the large intestine). The large intestine plays an important role in the body’s ability to process waste.


In an ultrasound, a doctor or ultrasound technologist, called a sonographer, places a transducer, which resembles a microphone, on the patient’s body. The transducer sends high-frequency sound waves into the body and then listens for the returning echoes to create images that appear on a console screen.

Upper endoscopy

In an upper endoscopy, a doctor inserts a flexible tube with an attached camera into the mouth and down the esophagus to examine the upper part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, including the esophagus (the muscular tube that connects the throat to the stomach), stomach and duodenum (the top of the small intestine).

Fountain Valley can connect you with a physician in your area

Call​  ​(888) 226-3744 or use our Find A Physician tool to be connected to a cancer specialist who can answer your questions. You can also read more about diseases and conditions in our in Health Library.