Can cervical cancer be felt fingered? How do they check for cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer in the form of large tumours can be felt fingered. If you press on the top of your stomach, you won't be able to feel it, but if you insert your finger into your cervix, it should feel smooth. If it feels rough one should see a doctor immediately.
Cervical cancer won’t be felt with the finger. Since cancer cells are so small, they can only be seen under a microscope. A polyp or cyst may be present if you feel a lump or mass in your vagina.
How do they check for cervical cancer?
An abnormal HPV (human papillomavirus) or Pap test result is frequently the first step in the detection of cervical cancer. This will result in additional examinations that can detect cervical cancer or pre-cancer. Screening tests, not diagnostic testing, include the Pap test and the HPV test. They are unable to diagnose cervical cancer with absolute certainty. Additional testing may be required to determine the presence of cancer or a pre-cancer if the results of a Pap or HPV test are abnormal.
If you experience symptoms like unusual vaginal bleeding or pain during sex, cervical cancer may also be suspected.
Cervical cancer develops gradually over a long period of time. The cells in your cervix go through a variety of changes before developing into cancer. Your cervix’s once-normal cells start to take on an uneven or aberrant appearance. These aberrant cells could disappear, remain unchanged, or develop into cancerous cells.
The majority of cervical cancer cases can be found through routine gynaecological exams with a Pap test. In a Pap test, also known as a Pap smear, cells from your cervix are gathered for analysis. These cells are checked for any anomalies or early cancer indications.
Additional testing is required if your Pap results are abnormal. This can involve an HPV test, a specialised test that looks for HPV infection in the cells of your cervix. Cervical cancer has been linked to specific HPV infection types.
If your doctor suspects you have cancer, they might additionally check your cervix and obtain a tissue sample for a biopsy. The tissue can be obtained using a variety of methods, including punch biopsy and endocervical curettage. In other situations, cervix tissue is collected for biopsy using a wire loop or conization.
Additional tests will evaluate whether the disease has spread if the biopsy reveals malignancy (metastasized). These examinations may involve:
Studies on kidney and liver function.
Tests on blood and urine.
Abdominal cavity, rectum, bowels, and bladder X-rays.
Tests to check for cervical cancer
The Pap test and the HPV test are used to find cervical cancer. Before they have an opportunity to develop into cancer, these cervical cancer tests can detect abnormal or troublesome cells in their earliest stages. Cervical cancer is extremely curable and less likely to progress if these cells are discovered early.
Your healthcare professional will use a brush to swab or scrape your cervix in order to obtain cells for the Pap and HPV tests. Your feet are in stirrups as you recline on an examination table (like during a pelvic exam). Your vagina is treated with a speculum (this opens up your vagina). The cells are placed in a liquid and transported to a lab for analysis after the swab is collected.
Screening for cervical cancer
The purpose of cervical cancer screening is to find abnormalities in your cervix’s cellular makeup before they progress to malignancy.
Pap test: This test finds irregular or abnormal cervix cells.
HPV test: This test finds high-risk HPV infections, which are the ones most likely to result in cervical cancer.
A Pap test and HPV test may be recommended by your doctor. If you are older than 30, co-testing can be a possibility for you.
Pelvic exam
Your healthcare professional does a pelvic exam in their office. You’ll need to take off clothes below the waist and change into a medical gown before the examination. On an exam table, you lie on your back with your knees bent and place your feet in stirrups, which are supports at the end of the table. The doctor can now see and feel your cervix, uterus, vagina, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, and rectum from this position. Your vagina will be probed with a speculum, a piece of plastic or metal. This enables the medical professional to see your cervix and upper vagina. The medical professional inserts one or two gloved fingers into your vagina after taking out the speculum. Your belly is pressed with the other hand (abdomen). In order to feel other organs and look for lumps (masses) or other unusual things, they will do this.
There may also be a recto-vaginal examination. The medical professional inserts one finger into your rectum and one into your vagina. To feel the tissue around and in between these two organs.
An examination of the pelvis might occasionally reveal cervical cancer. Dysplasia and other precancerous alterations are invisible to your doctor. But during the examination, they might spot aggressive cancer.
Pap and HPV tests
The common method for determining whether there are any alarming cervical cell changes is a Pap test. If you have an infection with one of the HPV strains known to be associated with cervical cancer, an HPV test will reveal this.
The medical professional examines the upper portion of your vagina and cervix by opening it using a device known as a speculum. The cells from your cervix and vagina are collected using a tiny, soft brush or spatula. An expert healthcare professional called a pathologist examines the cells in a lab using a microscope. Precancer, cancer, and HPV infection are all checked for.
Colposcopy
During this process, the medical professional can use a colposcope, a lighted magnification instrument, to look at your cervix very closely. It can assist in identifying abnormal cervix regions. In order to see the cervix, the vagina must first be held open with a device known as a speculum. The doctor next uses the colposcope, which resembles a pair of binoculars, to get a close-up view of your cervix. The scope doesn’t touch you; it stays outside of your body. A vinegar-like solution is used to cleanse the cervix, which helps to reveal the changes there. It is possible to take cells from regions that don’t resemble the typical cervix cells and send them to a lab for analysis.
Biopsy
Cervical biopsies can be performed in many methods. All are carried out by removing tissue for analysis. They consist of:
Endocervical currettage (endocervical scraping). A tiny tool is used in this kind of biopsy to scrape tissue or cells from the cervix. Possibly during a colposcopy. It enables the medical professional to obtain cells from a hidden location.
Cone biopsy (conization). This is one of a number of biopsies that can be performed to remove bigger chunks of tissue from the cervix. To do this, a larger cone-shaped section of the cervix may be removed using a knife, laser, or hot wire (known as a LEEP cone). Medication may be administered to you to make you fall asleep deeply and block out pain. For these kinds of biopsies, the cervix may also be numbed. Cramps, bleeding, or other discharge could result from it. Usually, the wound heals fast.
Conclusion:
The results of your biopsy will be communicated to you by your healthcare professional. If cervical cancer is discovered, your doctor and you will discuss any other testing you might want. Make sure you understand the findings and the necessary next steps.
Sources:
https://www.uhhospitals.org/services/cancer-services/gynecological-cancer/cervical-cancer/about-cervical-cancer
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/12216-cervical-cancer
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=34&contentid=17231-1