Tests starting with the letter C
Laboratory Test Guide: Tests Starting with the Letter "C"
A complete list of all tests beginning with the letter "C" performed at Egemed Hospitals’ Medical Laboratories is provided below. To help our patients understand these tests, a brief medical description and the laboratory’s intended use for each test group are clearly stated.
Biochemistry, Tumor Markers, and Hormone Tests
CA 125
CA 15-3
CA 19-9
CA 72-4
Description: These are panels of specific proteins (cancer markers) produced by cancer cells and released into the bloodstream.
Purpose: Used to monitor ovarian (CA 125), breast (CA 15-3), pancreatic/biliary (CA 19-9), and gastric/intestinal (CA 72-4) cancers and to assess the response to treatment.
CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen)
Description: This is a protein that is normally found in the fetus but is present at very low levels in the blood of adults; however, its levels increase in certain types of cancer.
Purpose: To screen for and monitor the treatment of colorectal (large intestine), rectal, and lung cancers in particular.
CK (Creatine Kinase)
CK-MB
Description: This test measures enzymes found in skeletal muscle and heart muscle that are released into the bloodstream when muscle damage occurs.
Purpose: This test is ordered to evaluate suspected heart attacks (myocardial infarction) and to diagnose skeletal muscle disorders (muscle breakdown).
C-Peptide
Description: It is a protein released into the bloodstream in equal amounts alongside insulin during insulin production by the pancreas.
Purpose: This test is used to measure the body’s own (endogenous) insulin production capacity and to distinguish between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
CRP (C-Reactive Protein)
Description: It is an acute-phase reactant rapidly produced by the liver in response to any infection or tissue damage (inflammation) in the body.
Purpose: To determine the severity of an infection in the body, monitor the response to antibiotic treatment, and monitor rheumatic diseases.
Immunology, Serology, and Allergy Tests
C 1 ESTERASE INHIBITOR
C1 ESTERASE INHIBITOR ACTIVITY
Description: This test measures the levels and activity of a vital protein that helps suppress the immune system’s excessive reaction (inflammation).
Purpose: This test is used to diagnose "Hereditary Angioedema," a condition that causes sudden swelling of the face, lips, or airways.
CD4/CD8 Panel, Complete Blood Count
Description: This procedure involves counting specific T-lymphocyte cells (CD4 and CD8) in the blood, which act as the "conductors" of the immune system.
Purpose: To determine the stage of HIV/AIDS infection and to monitor immune deficiency disorders.
CHLAMYDIA PNEUMONIAE IgM
CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS IgG
Description: This test detects antibodies produced by the body in response to Chlamydia bacteria transmitted via the respiratory tract (Pneumoniae) or the genital tract (Trachomatis).
Purpose: Used in the diagnosis of atypical pneumonia or sexually transmitted chlamydia infections.
CIDP/NODO-PARANODOPATHY EVALUATION
Description: This is a highly specific neuroimmunological panel designed to detect the presence of autoantibodies that target the peripheral nervous system.
Objective: To diagnose Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a condition that causes progressive muscle weakness in the arms and legs.
STRAWBERRY (F44) CLIA
Description: This test measures the level of specific IgE (allergy) antibodies against strawberry protein in the blood using the chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) method.
Purpose: Used to diagnose food allergies.
CM V IgG
CMV IgM
CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) IgG AVIDITY
Description: This test measures acute and persistent antibodies against cytomegalovirus infection, as well as the binding affinity (avidity) of these antibodies to the virus.
Purpose: To determine whether a CMV infection—which poses a risk of transmission to the fetus during pregnancy—is a recent infection or the result of prior immunity (TORCH screening).
CRYOGLOBULIN
Description: This test detects abnormal blood proteins that precipitate (clot) in cold environments and dissolve again when warmed.
Objective: To investigate vascular occlusions associated with hepatitis C, multiple myeloma, and certain rheumatic diseases.
Microbiology and Culture Tests
C andida Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test
Candida Culture
CANDIDA SPECIES IDENTIFICATION / Candida Species Identification
Description: In cases of suspected persistent fungal (yeast) infections, this procedure involves inoculating the sample onto fungal culture media, identifying the species of the growing fungus (e.g., albicans, glabrata), and determining its susceptibility to antifungal medications.
Objective: To plan the most appropriate and long-lasting treatment for recurrent vaginal, oral (thrush), or systemic fungal infections.
Genetic, Molecular, and PCR Analyses
CALR EXON 9 MUTATIONS
Description: This is an analysis of a specific DNA mutation in the Calreticulin (CALR) gene that affects blood production in the bone marrow.
Purpose: Used for the genetic diagnosis of bone marrow diseases (types of blood cancer) such as essential thrombocythemia and myelofibrosis.
CHLAMYDIA TRACHOMATIS DNA PCR
SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STIs, STDs) PANEL
Description: This test involves simultaneously screening for the genetic material (DNA) of multiple sexually transmitted pathogens—such as Chlamydia, gonorrhea, Ureaplasma, and HPV—using PCR from urine or genital swab samples.
Objective: To provide targeted diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections that progress silently and can lead to infertility.
CKIT MUTATIONS
Description: This test detects cancer-causing mutations in the c-KIT gene, which regulates cell growth.
Purpose: To provide guidance in the diagnosis of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST) and in planning "targeted therapy."
COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) PCR
Description: This test involves amplifying the RNA sequence of the coronavirus (via PCR) using a swab sample taken from the nose and throat.
Purpose: It is the most accurate and reliable gold standard diagnostic method for active COVID-19 infection.
CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) PCR, Amniotic Fluid
CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) PCR, Urine
Description: This refers to the direct detection of the CMV virus’s DNA in the amniotic fluid of a fetus in the womb or in the infant’s urine after birth.
Purpose: To determine whether the virus has been transmitted to the baby during pregnancy and whether the baby has a congenital infection.