Contents:
- Medical Video: Cervical Cancer Progression And Staging - Manipal Hospital
- What is colposcopy?
- Are there any side effects from colposcopy?
- What is cervical biopsy?
- Colposcopic biopsy
- Dilatase and endocervical curettage (endocervical curette)
- Cone biopsy
- How is a cone biopsy done?
- How are biopsy results diagnosed?
Medical Video: Cervical Cancer Progression And Staging - Manipal Hospital
If you experience certain symptoms that have the potential for cancer or if your Pap test shows abnormal cells, then you will have to undergo a more specific set of tests so that your doctor can diagnose your health condition appropriately. Two of them are colposcopy and biopsy of the cervix. Keduanys are general medical tests that are usually recommended by doctors.
What is colposcopy?
Colposcopy is a medical test performed the same aspelvic examination. You will lie on the examination table to make it easier for the doctor to insert a speculum into the vagina to see your cervix. Then, the doctor will use a colposcope to examine the cervix. Colposcope is a special tool to be inserted in the body that has a magnifying lens such as binoculars. The Colposcope allows doctors to see the surface of the cervix more clearly. The doctor will apply a small amount of acetic acid solution (such as vinegar) on your cervix so that abnormal areas are more easily detected.
If abnormal areas are seen on the cervix, a biopsy will be performed. A biopsy is taking a small piece of tissue sample from a suspected problem area. The sample was sent to a pathologist for examination with a microscope. Biopsy is the only way to find out whether certain abnormal areas are pre-cancerous, cancerous, or not both.
Are there any side effects from colposcopy?
Colposcopy procedures are often painless, biopsy of the cervix can cause discomfort, cramps, or even pain in some women - but no more pain than other speculum examinations. There are no side effects from colposcopy and this test is safe even if you are pregnant. But it's better to delay doing it while you're menstruating.
What is cervical biopsy?
A biopsy is taking a small piece of tissue sample from a suspected problem area. Several types of biopsies can be done to diagnose pre-cancer and cervical cancer. If you can fully remove all damaged tissue, a biopsy can be the only cancer treatment needed.
Colposcopic biopsy
For this type of biopsy, the first cervix is examined with a colposcope to find abnormal areas. Using biopsy forceps, a small part (about 3 mm) of abnormal area on the surface of the cervix is cut. A biopsy procedure can cause mild cramps, short pain, and mild bleeding afterwards. Local anesthesia is sometimes prescribed to make the cervix numb before biopi.
Dilatase and endocervical curettage (endocervical curette)
Sometimes the transformation zone (an area at risk for HPV infection and pre-cancer) cannot be investigated only with a colposcope, so other ways must be done to check the risk of cancer in the area. This means the doctor must run a curette, which is the process of taking endocervical samples by inserting a small device into the endocervical canal (the part of the cervix closest to the uterus). Curett is recommended to scrape the inside of the canal to remove some tissue, which is then sent to the laboratory for testing. After this procedure, you may feel cramping pain and also mild bleeding.
Cone biopsy
A cone biopsy, also known as konisasi, is a procedure in which a doctor cuts a cone-shaped part of the cervix. The base of the cone is formed from the exocervix (the outside of the cervix), and the tip or tip of the cone is part of the endocervical canal. The tissue cut in the cone includes a transformation zone (the border between the exocervix and endocervix, where pre-cancer and cancer are most likely to occur).
A cone biopsy can also be recommended as a treatment for fully removing pre-cancer and some very early cancers. Having a biopsy cone will not protect most women from pregnancy, but if a large number of tissues are removed, you can be more at risk for preterm delivery.
How is a cone biopsy done?
The method commonly used for cone biopsy is the loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), also called large loop excision of the transformation zone (LLETZ), and cone biopsy cold knife. Here's how.
- Loop electrosurgical procedure (LEEP, LLETZ): In this method, the network is lifted with a thin wire loop heated with an electric current which acts as a scalpel. The doctor can give you local anesthesia so that this procedure can be done in the doctor's consultation room. LEEP only takes about 10 minutes. You may experience mild pain during and after the procedure, and mild to moderate bleeding for several weeks.
- Cold knife cone biopsy: This method uses a scalpel or laser to remove tissue. You will receive anesthesia during surgery (both general anesthesia, which makes you totally unconscious; or spinal or epidural anesthesia, ie an injection into the area around the spinal cord to make you numb below the waist). This procedure is done in the hospital, but does not require hospitalization. After the procedure, you may experience cramps and bleeding for several weeks.
How are biopsy results diagnosed?
Varied pre-cancers in a biopsy are called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Sometimes the term dysplasia is used rather than CIN. CIN is assessed on a scale of 1 to 3 based on how far the cervical tissue looks abnormal when viewed with a microscope.
- CIN 1: only a small portion of tissue that appears to be malfunctioning, and this is considered a less serious pre-cancerous cervix (mild dysplasia)
- CIN 2: more tissue that does not appear to function (moderate dysplasia)
- CIN 3: almost the entire network does not appear to function; CIN 3 is the most serious pre-cancer (severe dysplasia) and includes carcinoma in situ).
If cancer is found during biopsy, the cancer will be identified as either squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma.
You and your doctor must carefully consider the benefits and risks before having the best screening to properly diagnose your health condition.
