Cervical cancer

Other Diagnostic Tests

If your cervical smear test falls within an abnormal range your doctor may refer you to a hospital specialist who will probably perform a 'colposcopy' in the hospital outpatient department. A colposcope is a binocular-like device that stays outside your body. It magnifies and focuses an intense light on the cervix, so the doctor can view it in greater detail. Depending on these findings, the doctor may use one or more of the following tests:

• Biopsy: During this procedure, sample tissue is taken from beneath the cervical surface. Often several areas are biopsied during the procedure.
• Endocervical curettage: This technique is used when the doctor can't see the T-zone with the colposcope. Cells are scraped from inside the cervical canal as a follow-up to colposcopic examination and biopsy and can help the doctor make a more precise diagnosis.
• Cone biopsy: When biopsy or endocervical curettage reveals a problem that requires further investigation, a cone biopsy may be performed. A "cone" of tissue is removed from around the opening of the cervical canal. In addition to diagnosing an abnormality, cone biopsy can be used as a treatment to remove the suspect tissue.
• Loop Electrocautery Excision Procedure (LEEP): in this diagnostic procedure, the suspicious area is excised with a loop device and the remaining tissue is cauterised (heat sealed). LEEP is both a diagnostic test and a treatment. Tissues removed during LEEP are examined by a pathologist.

Stages of Cervical Cancer

Once cancer of the cervix is diagnosed, more tests will be done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body. To plan treatment, a doctor needs to know the stage of the disease. The following stages are used for cancer of the cervix:

• Stage 0 or carcinoma in situ is very early cancer. The abnormal cells are found only in the first layer of cells of the lining of the cervix and do not invade the deeper tissues of the cervix.
• Stage I cancer involves the cervix but has not spread nearby.
• Stage IA indicates a very small amount of cancer that is only visible under a microscope is found deeper in the tissues of the cervix.