John Hay
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Genetics of Disease (Medical Interventions)
Unit 3: Unit 3.1 Detecting CancerMI 3.1Biotechnology Research and Experiments

Build A Diagnostic Workflow

Use cancer evidence to build a diagnostic workflow from cell regulation through treatment planning.

Builds on (2 levels back)inferred · high confidence
  • Sign vs. symptom: Clinical data mixes measured findings with patient-reported history.
  • Normal range comparison: Students need a reference range or baseline to tell whether a value is concerning.

Prerequisites are inferred: pending teacher review.

Re-learn the skill with worked practice and clear examples.

Re-learn how to order the diagnostic workflow: screen, then imaging, then biopsy, then stage, then plan.

Step 1: Follow the flow
The correct order is screen -> imaging -> biopsy -> stage -> plan. Each step builds on the one before it.
A five-step diagnostic workflow flowchart in order: Screen, then Imaging, then Biopsy, then Stage, then Plan treatment. Each step is a box with an arrow to the next.
Step 2: Why this order
You find a mass before you sample it, confirm cancer before you measure its spread, and stage it before you choose a plan.
Practice

Use the flowchart. A patient has just had imaging that found a mass. Following the workflow, what is the next correct step?

Reviewed
A five-step diagnostic workflow flowchart in order: Screen, then Imaging, then Biopsy, then Stage, then Plan treatment. Each step is a box with an arrow to the next.
  1. A.Biopsy, to sample the mass and confirm whether it is cancer
  2. B.Screen, to look for early warning signs
  3. C.Plan, to choose the treatment right away
  4. D.Stage, before knowing whether it is cancer
Show the worked solution ▾

Answer: A. Biopsy, to sample the mass and confirm whether it is cancer

  1. Step 1: Find the current step: Imaging is step 2 in the flowchart.
  2. Step 2: Read the arrow: The arrow after imaging points to biopsy.
  3. Step 3: Choose next: So the next step is biopsy.

Why it's right: The flowchart goes imaging -> biopsy, so biopsy is the next step after imaging finds a mass.

Why the others miss:
  • B: Screening comes before imaging, not after it.
  • C: You should confirm and stage the cancer before planning treatment.
  • D: Staging comes after a biopsy confirms cancer, not before.

Aligned to Biotechnology Research and Experiments · reading level ~grade 9

Where you'd see this
  • In Unit 3.1 Detecting Cancer, students choose the next correct step in a diagnostic workflow.
Careers that use this
Oncologist: Orders screen, imaging, biopsy, staging, and planning in the right sequence.
Video library
Watch: Build A Diagnostic Workflow
From Biopsy to Diagnosis: How Pathologists Diagnose Cancer and Other Diseases
umichpath · 5 min
Guided notes

Fill these in as you work through the lesson.

Big idea: Diagnosing cancer follows an ordered workflow, and each step depends on the result of the one before it.
Key terms: write the meaning
  • Screen (look for early signs before symptoms):  
  • Imaging (take pictures to find a mass):  
  • Biopsy (sample tissue to confirm cancer):  
  • Stage (measure how far it spread):  
  • Plan (choose the treatment):  
The rule

The diagnostic workflow goes   ->   ->   ->   ->  , because each step needs the result of the step before it.

Check yourself
  1. What is the next step after imaging finds a mass? 
  2. Why must a biopsy come before staging? 
  3. Why is planning treatment the last step? 
Work one example

Imaging found a lung mass. Next step: biopsy to confirm cancer. Then stage it to see how far it spread. Only then plan the treatment.