Cervical cytology test Cervical cytology test, also known as TCT (Thinprep cytologic test), is an important method to screen for early cervical cancer. Women who have sexual intercourse should have annual cervical cytology examination. The doctor scrapes cells and secretions from the junction of squamous and columnar epithelium of the cervix, which is the most vulnerable area for cervical cancer, and then saves the removed secretions in a liquid specimen bottle and sends it to the laboratory for cytologic examination. The sampling process is simple and quick, and can be done during internal gynecological examination. Unless the cervical lesion is serious, there is usually no obvious discomfort such as bleeding and pain. Nowadays, many hospitals, such as Peking University Hospital, can perform human papillomavirus (HPV) testing along with the detection of cervical cytopathy, which is closely related to the occurrence of cervical cancer. After the TCT results are returned, the gynecologist will take the next step based on the results. Tips: Sexual intercourse, vaginal examination, irrigation and vaginal drug application are prohibited for 24 hours before taking the specimen. Endometrial cytology Patients are often fearful of scraping: diagnostic scraping is one of the most important methods used to diagnose uterine cavity disease. Its purpose is to obtain the contents of the uterine cavity (endometrium and other tissues) for pathological examination to clarify the diagnosis. What kind of patients need this test? Simply put, they are patients with abnormal uterine bleeding or vaginal discharge, and the purpose is to confirm or exclude diseases such as endometrial cancer and cervical canal cancer. Now there is good news! Endometrial cytology is just like cervical cytology, a gentle wipe to take out a little bit of uterine cavity cells for judgment, without anesthesia, can also make a preliminary judgment of endometrial lesions and reduce the occurrence of scraping. Third, color ultrasound Ultrasound examination is often the most familiar way of examination for patients, and now commonly used is B ultrasound with color ultrasound. The advantage of color ultrasound is the good observation of blood flow, that is, it can see whether the tumor is rich in blood supply for benign and malignant tendency. The modalities of ultrasound are divided into: transabdominal, transvaginal and transrectal. For women who have sex life, vaginal ultrasound is feasible, which requires bladder emptying and is non-invasive and painless, especially good for emergency, obese patients or observation of deep pelvic organs. However, for women without sexual life, abdominal ultrasound or rectal ultrasound is feasible, and only abdominal ultrasound requires holding urine for examination. MRI can clearly show the difference between tumor signal and normal tissue, so it can accurately determine the size of tumor and metastasis and directly distinguish the empty blood vessels and enlarged lymph nodes. Tips: MRI examination is often performed when the patient is highly suspicious of tumor or when the tumor has been diagnosed, so as not to cause unnecessary waste of medical resources. Blood test: tumor markers Tumor markers are protein antigens or bioactive substances produced by abnormal expression of tumor cells, which can be detected in tissues, blood or body fluids and excretion of tumor patients and can assist in tumor diagnosis, differential diagnosis and detection. CA125 is the most widely used ovarian epithelial tumor marker in the world, with a positive rate of more than 80%. CA125 is widely used in clinical practice to identify pelvic masses, detect the progress of ovarian cancer after treatment and determine the prognosis. CA125 is also sensitive in the diagnosis of cervical cancer and endometrial cancer. CA125 can also be elevated in endometriosis, adenomyosis or special infections. Therefore, if CA125 is found to be elevated, do not be discouraged by life immediately, but seek medical consultation for a clear diagnosis.