invasive cancer of the cervix

If you go to your doctor because you have noticed symptoms such as bleeding or discharge, your GP will need to find out the cause of your problem.

S/he will ask you questions about your symptoms, and is likely to examine you. For example, s/he will look at the cervix to see if it appears to be healthy.

S/he may then decide to send you to a specialist doctor (a gynaecologist) at th hospital. There are cancer referral guidelines to help GPs decide who may need to see a specialist, and how quickly.

At hospital you may have some of the following tests:

Cervical Screening Test
A nurse or doctor takes a sample of cells from the cervix, and then sends it to the laboratory to be looked at under a microscope.

Colposcopy
This means looking at the cervix through a magnifying instrument called a colposcope. The doctor or nurse uses a device called a speculum to hold open the walls of the vagina. S/he can then look at the cervix through the colposcope, and see any areas that may be abnormal.

Punch biopsy
This means taking a small sample of tissue (biopsy) from your cervix, which can then be looked at under a microscope. This will be done during the colposcopy (see above).

Loop excision of the cervix
This involves taking away a small part of the cervix where the abnormal cells are. It takes about 10 minutes and you have a local anaesthetic first. A thin wire is used to remove the abnormal area.

Cone biopsy
The doctor removes a cone-shaped area of tissue where the cancer may be. You normally have a general anaesthetic for this, and are likely to stay in hospital overnight. Cone biopsy can also be used to treat very early cancer of the cervix.

If tests show that you have cancer, your doctor may arrange some more tests to see whether it has spread. These may include…

Examination under anaesthetic (EUA)
The doctor examines your cervix, vagina and internal organs, while you are under a general anaesthetic.

Intravenous urogram (IVU)
This is an x-ray of the kidneys, ureters and bladder. To make the picture clearer, a liquid called contrast medium is injected into a vein before the x-ray is taken.

Cystoscopy
This test lets your doctor look at your bladder through a long, flexible instrument called a cystoscope, which is passed up through the urethra. S/he can also take some small samples of tissue (biopsies) to be looked at under a microscope later.

Computerised tomography (CT or CAT scan)
This is a type of x-ray that creates a picture of the inside of the body. You lie on a couch while it passes through a large hollow ring.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MR or MRI scan)
This is like a CT scan but it uses a magnet and radio waves, not x-rays, to make the picture. You lie still on a couch inside a long chamber while the pictures are taken.

Chest x-ray
This is to see whether the cancer has spread to the lungs.

For more information about some of these tests, go to our cancer tests section.