Diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer
Diagnostic Test list for Endometrial Cancer:
The list of medical tests
mentioned in various sources as
used in the diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer
includes:
Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Tests and diagnosis discussion for Endometrial Cancer:
Your doctor may use several tests to see if you have cancer, usually
beginning with an internal (pelvic) examination. During the examination,
your doctor will feel for any lumps or changes in the shape of the uterus.
Your doctor will then do a Pap test, using a piece of cotton, a brush, or
a small wooden stick to gently scrape the outside of the cervix (opening
of the uterus) and vagina to pick up cells for microscopic study.
Because cancer of the endometrium begins inside the uterus, it does not
usually show up on a Pap test. For this reason, your doctor may also do a
dilation and curettage (D&C) or similar test to remove pieces of the
lining of the uterus. During a D&C, the opening of the cervix is
stretched with a spoon-shaped instrument and the walls of the uterus are
gently scraped to remove any growths. This tissue is then checked for
cancer cells.
(Source: excerpt from Endometrial Cancer: NWHIC)
Diagnosis of Endometrial Cancer: medical news summaries:
The following medical news items
are relevant to diagnosis and misdiagnosis issues for Endometrial Cancer:
Diagnostic Tests for Endometrial Cancer: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about diagnostis of Endometrial Cancer.
Endometriosis:
Diagnosis
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Pelvic examination may suggest endometriosis. Palpation may detect multiple tender nodules on uterosacral ligaments or in the rectovaginal septum in one-third of patients. These nodules enlarge and become more tender during menses. Palpation may also uncover ovarian enlargement in the presence of endometrial cysts on the ovaries or thickened, nodular adnexa (as in pelvic inflammatory disease). Laparoscopy must confirm the diagnosis and determine the disease’s stage before treatment is initiated. Endometriosis is classified in stages: Stage I, mild; Stage II, moderate; Stage III, severe; and Stage IV, extensive.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
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
Endometriosis:
Diagnosis
(Handbook of Diseases)
Palpation during a pelvic examination may detect multiple tender nodules on the uterosacral ligaments or in the rectovaginal septum in one-third of patients. These nodules enlarge and become more tender during menses.
Palpation may also uncover ovarian enlargement in the presence of enmetrial cysts on the ovaries or thickened, nodular adnexa (as in pelvic inflammatory disease). Laparoscopy is used to confirm the diagnosis and determine the stage of the disease before treatment is initiated.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
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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