Testing Times with Cervical Cancer

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Doctors recommend that women get tested for cervical cancer as soon as they are 21. In fact they even recommend it for younger girls who are sexually active. There are various kinds of tests to examine the cervix and detect cervical cancer. All women are aware that a Pap smear is a mandatory procedure that they get done every year if possible.

In a Pap smear, cells are scraped off the surface of the cervix and vagina with cotton or a brush and then examined with a microscope to detect if they are abnormal. This test can even find changes that may lead to cervical cancer in the future. This is the best way to detect cervical cancer in the early stages.

Cervical cancer is also tested for with a colposcopy - so called because of the use of a colposcope. This is a procedure that looks inside the vagina and cervix for abnormalities. Tissue samples can also be taken to undergo a biopsy. If abnormalities are found by either a Pap smear or a colposcopy, the physician may ask for a biopsy to be carried out. In this a tissue sample is cut from the cervix and examined by a pathologist to check for indications of cancer. Doctors or nurses also do a pelvic exam to check for signs of the disease.

Another test carried out to check for cervical cancer is the endocervical curettage — a procedure in which a spoon-like instrument is used to scrape the lining of the cervix. The sample collected here may be used in a biopsy. This test can be combined with a colposcopy. Most of these tests are carried out to test for cervical cancer once abnormal changes are noticed in the body. But as a precautionary measure women should have a Pap smear test on a regular basis.