How to Diagnose Cervical Cancer

How does someone know she has cervical cancer? Can you know someone has cervical cancer only from the signs or symptoms? Symptoms can’t be used to diagnose if someone has cervical cancer or not. How to diagnose cervical cancer accurately?

Doctors usually use scans, tests, and procedures to find any medical problem and what can cause it. The tests can even help doctors see if cancer has metastasized or spread to the other parts or organs of the body. There are various methods to diagnose if someone has cervical cancer or not. Read also: Cervical Cancer Survival Rate by Stage

How to Diagnose Cervical Cancer Accurately?

For many cancer types, a biopsy is the best way to help doctors diagnose cancer and its location. This method requires a doctor to take a small sample of a patient’s tissue and then test it in the laboratory. But if this option is not possible, doctors usually suggest other tests to diagnose cancer. Read also: Cervical Cancer Life Expectancy

Doctors are going to consider some factors in choosing the right diagnostic test, including the cancer type that is suspected, general health and age of the patient, earlier medical tests’ results, also the symptoms and signs of cancer. In diagnosing cervical cancer, doctors usually use these tests:

1. Sterile speculum examination and bimanual pelvic examination

This examination is when the doctor checks if there are any abnormal changes found in the patient’s uterus, ovaries, miss v, cervix, and the other organs close to them. The doctor is going to start by looking for any changes outside the body.

Then the doctor will use a speculum which is a tool to keep the walls of the miss v open. It allows the doctor to look inside the patient’s miss v so he can visualize if there is any cervix inside. Oftentimes, the doctor will also do the pap test.

This test will take only a few minutes. The patient is going to take this test at the doctor’s office, especially inside the examination room.

2. How to diagnose cervical cancer with a pap test

During this test, the doctor will gently scrape both the inside and the outside of the patient’s cervix. The purpose of this action is to take cell samples that the doctor will test. The improved methods of this test are even easier for the doctors to diagnose the cancerous cell.

The traditional pap tests are harder to read since the cells can dry out, clump together while on the slide, or be covered with blood or mucus.

3. Colposcopy to diagnose cervical cancer

Colposcopy is a good method doctor will use to help guide the biopsy of the cervix. During this test, doctors are going to use a colposcope that is a special tool. This tool will magnify the miss v and cervix cells, just like a microscope. This helps doctors to see the cervix and the miss v.

The tool won’t be inserted into the patient’s body and the test is similar to the speculum examination. This test usually is done in the office of the doctor and there will be no side effects. This test is also safe for pregnant women.

4. Diagnosing cervical cancer with biopsy

The other tests will show the doctor that there is cancer in the patient’s body. But this test is going to make the diagnosis definite. The pathologist will analyze the samples since pathologists are the ones who specialize in evaluating cells and interpreting the laboratory tests.

Pathologists also specialize in evaluating the organs and tissues in order to diagnose cervical cancer. If there is just a small lesion, the doctor may be able to remove the entire lesson during this biopsy test.

Those are the answers for how to diagnose cervical cancer accurately. If you think your body is showing the symptoms of cervical cancer, you should consider taking the tests above.