Diagnosis of Cervical Cancer: Important things to know

Cervical cancer is the cancer of the cervix, in which there’s growth of abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix. The most common type of cervical cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for 70% of cases. Almost all types of cervical cancer are caused by a virus known as Human Papillomavirus or HPV. A HPV infection persists for a long time, it can result in cancer or tumour. 

The methods for Diagnosis of cervical cancer are:

Bimanual pelvic examination and sterile speculum examination:

In this type of gynaecological examination, the doctor checks for any unusual changes in the patient's cervix, uterus, vagina, and other nearby organs in the pelvic region. Don’t get scared by watching the instrument called a speculum. A speculum is a duck-bill-shaped instrument that is used by the doctors to see inside a hollow part of your body, here it’s the vagina and the cervix. 

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Colposcopy:

The doctor may do a colposcopy to check for any abnormalities in the cervix.The cervix is the opening to the uterus or the womb from the vagina. A colposcopy is done to take a closer look at the cervix. A special instrument called a colposcope is used which magnifies the cells of the cervix and vagina. During a colposcopy a speculum is gently placed into your vagina to open it and a microscope (which stays outside your body) is then used to look at the magnified view of the cervix 

Biopsy:

A cervical  biopsy is the removal of a small amount of tissue from the cervix for examination under a microscope. There are several types of cervical biopsies that can be done to test for abnormal cells.

Endocervical curettage (ECC): During this procedure, a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette is used to scrape off some tissue from inside the cervical opening.

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Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP): During this procedure an electrical current is  passed through a thin wire hook. The hook removes tissue which is then sent for examination in the laboratory. 

Conization or Cone biopsy: In this type of biopsy a cone-shaped piece of tissue is removed from the cervix through a laser or a scalpel.

Human Papillomavirus Typing Test

HPV testing is a test similar to Pap test, during which a sample is taken from the cervix and tested for a virus HPV. 

Positron emission tomography (PET) or PET-CT scan:

A PET scan is an imaging test that is used to form pictures of organs and tissues inside the body. A radioactive substance is injected into the patient’s body to find out any normal or abnormal metabolic activity inside the body. A scanner then detects these radioactive substances to produce images of the inside of the body.

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Treatment for cervical cancer:

The treatment usually depends on 

• the size and type of cervical cancer where the cancer is
• the amount of spread and tumour 
• the general health

Your doctors can decide the right treatment according to your diagnosis and it may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Talk to your doctor about cervical cancer vaccine.