Cervical Cancer Series 09: How Is Cervical Cancer Diagnosed?
When a Pap test or HPV test shows an abnormal result, your first thought may be, “Could this be cervical cancer?” If you are told that you need a colposcopy or biopsy, you may worry that cancer has already been found. However, an abnormal screening result and a confirmed diagnosis of cervical cancer are not the same thing. Pap and HPV tests are screening tests used to detect abnormal cervical cell changes or high-risk HPV infections associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is definitively diagnosed by removing tissue from a suspicious area and examining it under a microscope. If cancer is found, imaging tests such as MRI, CT, or PET-CT may be used to determine the size of the cancer and how far it has spread. The specific tests and the order in which they are performed can vary depending on your symptoms, the appearance of the cervix, and previous test results. In this article, we will look at how cervical cancer is investigated and ultimately diagnosed. An...