Symptoms and diagnosis of gynecological cancers

Cancers of the corpus uteri (endometrium) and the cervix share certain symptoms:

• bleeding, especially after menopause or during sexual intercourse
• vaginal discharge 

Following the occurrence of these symptoms, the diagnosis will have to be confirmed with the clinical examination by the gynecologist and a biopsy, sometimes requiring the visualization of the inside of the corpus of the uterus by a hysteroscopy. All these medical examinations and tests can be carried out at Institut Curie.
If the diagnosis is confirmed, other tests must be carried out to check the extent of the tumor, for example with a pelvic MRI or a PET scan.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are non-specific and discreet (abdominal pain, digestive problems, increased abdominal volume, etc.). Diagnosis is therefore often delayed. When there is a suspicion of ovarian cancer, an imaging assessment and a blood test for markers (CA 125, HE4) are prescribed. If the suspicion is proven, a surgical intervention by laparoscopy will allow biopsies to be performed to make the diagnosis and specify the extent of the disease. INCA recommends that this procedure be carried out at a referral center such as Institut Curie.

Vulvar or vaginal cancers present as an abnormal hardening that may be painful or bleed on contact.

A course of care dedicated to gynecological cancers has been set up at Institut Curie for rapid and appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic care.

Source: National Cancer Institute