Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer
Diagnostic Test list for Uterine Cancer:
The list of medical tests
mentioned in various sources as
used in the diagnosis of Uterine Cancer
includes:
Uterine Cancer Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Tests and diagnosis discussion for Uterine Cancer:
If a woman has symptoms that suggest uterine cancer, her
doctor may check general signs of health and may order blood
and urine tests. The doctor also may perform one or more of
the exams or tests described on the next pages.
-
Pelvic exam -- A woman has a pelvic exam to check the
vagina, uterus, bladder, and rectum. The doctor feels these
organs for any lumps or changes in their shape or size. To
see the upper part of the vagina and the cervix, the doctor
inserts an instrument called a speculum
into the vagina.
-
Pap
test -- The doctor collects cells from the
cervix and upper vagina. A medical laboratory checks for
abnormal cells. Although the Pap test can detect cancer of
the cervix, cells from inside the uterus usually do not show
up on a Pap test. This is why the doctor collects samples of
cells from inside the uterus in a procedure called a biopsy .
-
Transvaginal
ultrasound -- The doctor inserts an instrument
into the vagina. The instrument aims high-frequency sound
waves at the uterus. The pattern of the echoes they produce
creates a picture. If the endometrium looks too thick, the
doctor can do a biopsy.
-
Biopsy -- The doctor removes a sample of tissue
from the uterine lining. This usually can be done in the
doctor's office. In some cases, however, a woman may need to
have a dilation
and curettage (D&C). A D&C is usually done
as same-day surgery with anesthesia
in a hospital. A pathologist
examines the tissue to check for cancer cells, hyperplasia,
and other conditions. For a short time after the biopsy,
some women have cramps and vaginal bleeding.
(Source: excerpt from
What You Need To Know About Cancer of the Uterus: NCI)
Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer: medical news summaries:
The following medical news items
are relevant to diagnosis and misdiagnosis issues for Uterine Cancer:
Diagnostic Tests for Uterine Cancer: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about diagnostis of Uterine Cancer.
Abnormal Uterine Bleeding:
Differential Diagnosis
(In a Page: Signs and Symptoms)
- Endometrial hyperplasia
–Endogenous estrogen excess (e.g., obesity,
tumor)
–Exogenous estrogen
–DUB is a diagnosis of exclusion (usually
not cyclic, occurs irregularly throughout the menstrual cycle)
-
Polycystic ovarian syndrome
-
Hypo- or hyperthyroidism
-
Endometrial atrophy
–Caused by long-term progestin or oral contraceptive use
-
Anatomic or structural lesions
–Uterine leiomyoma (fibroids)
–Foreign body (often intrauterine device)
–Cervical or uterine polyps
-
Pelvic infection (cervicitis, pelvic inflammatory disease)
-
Hypothalamic lesion
-
Hyperprolactinemia
-
Medications (e.g., exogenous estrogen, phenothiazines, reserpine)
-
Coagulation disorders
–Platelet dysfunction: Thrombocytopenia, leukemia, medications (e.g., aspirin, NSAIDs)
–Clotting factor abnormality: Von Willebrand's disease, hemophilia, hepatic or renal disease, anticoagulant use
-
Complications of pregnancy
–Spontaneous abortion (miscarriage)
–Ectopic pregnancy
–Placenta previa
–Placental abruption
-
Endometrial cancer
–Risk factors include older age, chronic anovulation, obesity, hypertension, DM, and unopposed estrogen
-
Systemic disease (e.g., HIV, hepatic disease, renal disease)
-
Nonuterine bleeding
–Vaginal (tear, trauma, or cancer)
–Cervical (trauma or cancer)
–Urinary (UTI or cancer)
–Rectal (bleeding, trauma, fissure, or cancer)
-
Other malignancy (ovarian or uterine tumor, sarcoma)
-
Endometrioma
Workup and Diagnosis
-
History, physical, pelvic, and rectal examinations
-
Pap smear
-
- Initial labs may include β-hCG (qualitative and, if positive, quantitative); CBC with differential; TSH, LH, FSH, estradiol, testosterone, prolactin, and DHEA-S levels
-
Consider PT/PTT, peripheral smear, clotting factor assays, liver function tests, serum progesterone, and BUN/creatinine to evaluate for coagulopathy, hepatic, or renal disease
-
Pelvic ultrasound may reveal adnexal or uterine masses or other pathology
-
Transvaginal ultrasound is more accurate than pelvic ultrasound in evaluating the endometrium
-
Endometrial biopsy and progesterone challenge test are helpful in the evaluation of estrogen excess
–Administration of medroxyprogesterone for 10 days results in withdrawal bleeding if adequate estrogen is present
-
CT scan may be helpful if malignancy is suspected
-
Hysteroscopy for evaluation of endometrium and uterine cavity
-
Diagnostic dilatation and curettage is more invasive but offers more information than endometrial biopsy
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: In a Page: Signs and Symptoms, 2004
Introduction: Malignant Neoplasms:
Diagnostic methods
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
A thorough medical history and physical examination should precede sophisticated diagnostic procedures. Useful tests for the early detection and staging of tumors include X-ray, endoscopy, isotope scan, computed tomography scan, and magnetic resonance imaging, but the single most important diagnostic tool is a biopsy for direct histologic study of tumor tissue. Biopsy tissue samples can be taken by curettage, fluid aspiration (pleural effusion), fine-needle aspiration biopsy (breast), dermal punch (skin or mouth), endoscopy (rectal polyps), and surgical excision (visceral tumors and nodes).
An important tumor marker, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), although not diagnostic by itself, can signal malignancies of the large bowel, stomach, pancreas, lungs, and breasts. CEA titers range from normal (less than 5 ng) to suspicious (5 to 10 ng) to suspect (over 10 ng). CEA serves many valuable purposes:
❑as a baseline during chemotherapy to evaluate the extent of tumor spread
❑to regulate drug dosage
❑to prognosticate after surgery or radiation
❑to detect tumor recurrence.
Although no more specific than CEA, alpha-fetoprotein — a fetal antigen uncommon in adults — can suggest testicular, ovarian, gastric, and hepatocellular cancers. Beta human chorionic gonadotropin may point to testicular cancer or choriocarcinoma. Other commonly used tumor markers include prostate-specific antigen to detect and monitor prostatic cancer, and CA-125, useful for monitoring ovarian, colorectal, and gastric cancers.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Uterine cancer:
Diagnosis
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Unfortunately, a Papanicolaou test, so useful for detecting cervical cancer, doesn't dependably predict early-stage uterine cancer. Diagnosis of uterine cancer requires endometrial, cervical, and endocervical biopsies. (See Staging uterine cancer.) Negative biopsies call for a fractional dilatation and curettage to determine the diagnosis. Positive diagnosis requires the following tests for baseline data and staging:
❑multiple cervical biopsies and endocervical curettage to pinpoint cervical involvement
❑ Schiller's test, staining the cervix and vagina with an iodine solution that turns healthy tissues brown; cancerous tissues resist the stain
❑ complete physical examination
❑ chest X-ray or computed tomography scan
❑ excretory urography and, possibly, cystoscopy
❑ complete blood studies
❑electrocardiogram
❑ proctoscopy or barium enema studies, if bladder and rectal involvement are suspected.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Malignant spinal neoplasms:
Diagnosis
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
❑Spinal and lumbosacral magnetic resonance imaging confirm spinal tumor.
❑ X-rays show distortions of the intervertebral foramina; changes in the vertebrae or collapsed areas in the vertebral body; and localized enlargement of the spinal canal, indicating an adjacent block.
❑ Myelography identifies the level of the lesion by outlining it if the tumor is causing partial obstruction; it shows anatomic relationship to the cord and the dura. If obstruction is complete, the injected dye can't flow past the tumor. (This study is dangerous if cord compression is nearly complete because withdrawal or escape of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) will allow the tumor to exert greater pressure against the cord.)
❑ Radioisotope bone scan demonstrates metastatic invasion of the vertebrae by showing a characteristic increase in osteoblastic activity.
❑ Computed tomography scan shows cord compression and tumor location.
❑ Frozen section biopsy at surgery identifies the tissue type.
❑ Lumbar puncture may be normal, abnormal, or nonspecific. It may show clear yellow CSF as a result of increased protein levels if the flow is completely blocked. If the flow is partially blocked, protein levels rise, but the fluid is only slightly yellow in proportion to the CSF protein level. Cytology of the CSF may show malignant cells of metastatic carcinoma.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Uterine cancer:
Diagnosis
(Handbook of Diseases)
Unfortunately, a Pap smear, so useful for detecting cervical cancer, doesn’t dependably predict early-stage uterine cancer. Diagnosis of uterine cancer requires endometrial biopsy and the following tests for baseline data and staging:
❑ complete physical examination
❑ chest X-ray or computed tomography scan
❑ complete blood count
❑ proctoscopy or barium enema studies, if bladder and rectal involvement are suspected.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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