How to Grade Cervical Cancer

According to the Mayo Clinic, cervical cancer typically affects women who are over 30 years of age. While most cervical cancers are detected through routine visits to the gynecologist, you should also be on the lookout for the common symptoms of cervical cancer, which include abnormal vaginal bleeding, discharge, and pain during sex. Once cervical cancer is diagnosed, it will need to be graded (or staged) based on how far it has spread.

Instructions

• 1

  Have diagnostic tests performed. These will positively identify the cervical cancer and provide some idea of how far into the body it has spread. These tests include invasive procedures like a biopsy (excision of a tissue sample from the affected area), cystoscopy and rectosigmoidoscopy (use of a lit tube inserted into the bladder and/or rectum to see whether the cancer has spread), computed tomography (a scan of the pelvic region which can identify cancerous cells, blood testing (to look for markers of cancer), or intravenous pyelogram (which is an x-ray used in conjunction with injection of a type of dye to make the cancer more visible).

• 2

  Understand the type of grading used for cervical cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics system is used, which means that the physician assigns the cancer a grade based on the aforementioned tests alone. That grade stands even if later procedures show that the cancer is actually more advanced. Although this is more of a technical point, you should still understand it to fully grasp the staging of cervical cancer.

• 3

  Assign the cancer a stage (from 0 to IV) based on how far the cancer has progressed. In stage 0, the cancer is confined to the surface of the cervix. In stage I, the cancer has progressed into the inner tissue of the cervix, but exists nowhere else in the body. In stage II, the cancer has spread into surrounding adjacent tissue (including the upper vagina). In stage III, the cancer has spread to either the lower portion of the vagina or the pelvic walls. Finally, in stage IV, the cancer has spread throughout the body to other lymph nodes and organs.