Ovarian and Fallopian Cancers Diagnosis
Diagnosis includes a medical history and physical examination, including a pelvic examination to feel the vagina, rectum and lower abdomen for masses or growths. Your physician may request a Pap test as part of the pelvic examination. Your physician may also order other tests, including:
- ultrasound - an imaging technique that uses sound waves to produce an image on a monitor of the abdominal organs, such as the uterus, liver, and kidneys.
- computed tomography (CT or CAT scan) - a noninvasive procedure that takes cross-sectional images of the brain or other internal organs; to detect any abnormalities that may not show up on an ordinary x-ray. The CT scan may indicate enlarged lymph nodes - a possible sign of a spreading cancer or of an infection.
- PET (positron emission tomography) scan – a type of scan that monitors the biochemical functioning of cells by detecting how they process certain compounds, such as glucose (sugar). Cancer cells metabolize glucose at a much higher level than normal tissues.
- PET/CT scan - This hybrid technology combines the strengths of two well-established imaging techniques, allowing physicians to precisely overlay the metabolic data of the PET scan and the detailed anatomic data of the CT scan to pinpoint the location and stage of tumors.
- lower gastrointestinal (GI) series - x-rays of the colon and rectum using a contrast dye called barium.
- blood test - to measure a substance in the blood called CA-125 (a tumor marker that is found to be elevated in the blood of women with ovarian cancer). This test is more often used to monitor the progress of treatment than as a screening test since non-cancer problems can cause it to be elevated.
- biopsy - a procedure in which tissue samples are removed from the body for examination under a microscope; to determine if cancer or other abnormal cells are present. The diagnosis of cancer is confirmed only by a biopsy.
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