Can colposcopy detect cervical cancer?

Colposcopy itself cannot detect cervical cancer, but a colposcopic biopsy can confirm whether a patient has cervical cancer. Clinically, colposcopy is mainly used to observe cervical, vaginal and vulvar lesions in the female reproductive tract. Because colposcopy can magnify the lesions 10-40 times, the doctor can observe smaller lesions that cannot be seen by the naked eye through colposcopy. Tissue biopsies taken under colposcopic localization can increase the positive detection rate and allow early detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions. The screening method for cervical cancer is cytological examination of cervical scraping. For cases where this examination suggests Pap grade III and above and TBS classification of squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, then colposcopic tissue biopsy will be performed, and the suspected cancerous area will be selected for biopsy under the observation of colposcopy, which is a reliable method to confirm the diagnosis of cervical cancer and pre-cancerous lesions of the cervix. For cases with positive cervical scraping but smooth cervix or negative cervical biopsy, small spatula can be applied to scrape the cervical canal and the specimen can be sent to pathological examination, which can improve the diagnostic accuracy of precancerous lesions and early invasive carcinoma, thus early treatment and improve the survival rate of patients. For patients who need colposcopy, it is recommended that they should actively cooperate with the examination so that the doctor can have enough clinical evidence to make a diagnosis or exclusion.