Tests for Cervical Cancer - Page 5

Additional tests if cervical cancer is diagnosed

If a biopsy reveals cancer, other tests may not be necessary if cervical cancer is caught at an early.

However, based on the stage of the disease and a physical exam, your doctor may order one or more of these tests to see if the cervical cancer has spread:

• Proctoscopy is a visual inspection of the rectum with the use of a proctoscope. This lighted tube to check for spread of cervical cancer is inserted into the rectum.
• ·Cystoscopy allows your doctor to check inside your urethra and bladder to see if cancer has spread to these areas. A cystoscope, a slender tube with a lens and a light, is placed into the bladder through the urethra. Biopsy samples can be removed during the procedure for testing. Cystoscopy can be performed under local or general anesthesia.
• Imaging studies can reveal if cervical cancer has spread to other parts of your body, and the information will help your doctor work out a treatment plan that’s right for your case. For example, if your tumor is large or if there is reason to think the cancer has spread, computed tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be performed, depending on which imaging is best for your specific situation. Positron emission tomography (PET) scans can also be helpful in locating cancer that has spread to lymph glands or is thought to have spread but has not been located, the American Cancer Society points out. Pet scans use a form of radioactive glucose that cancer cells absorb, enabling a special camera to pinpoint where cervical cancer cells have spread.

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