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Further tests

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You may be advised to have further tests depending on the symptoms you have and the results of the initial tests. These tests can help to confirm the diagnosis, and to stage the disease. The aim of staging is to find out:

How much the tumour has grown, and whether it has grown to other nearby structures such as the uterus, bladder or rectum.
Whether the cancer has spread to local lymph glands (nodes).
Whether the cancer has spread to other areas of the body (metastasised).

Further tests may include one or more of the following:

CT scan or MRI scan of the lower abdomen. These scans can provide detail of the structure of the internal organs. (See separate leaflets for each of these tests.)
A chest x-ray to assess your general health and to check if the cancer has spread to your lungs.
Blood tests to assess your general health and to check if the cancer has affected the function of your liver or kidneys.
Tests to check out the bowel or urinary tract. For example, colonoscopy, barium enema, or intravenous urogram. (See separate leaflets for each of these tests.) These tests are more likely to be needed if you have symptoms such as constipation or urinary frequency which may indicate the cancer has spread to these areas.
Aspiration of fluid. If your abdomen has swollen with fluid then a sample can be taken. This is done by numbing a small area of skin on the abdomen with local anaesthetic. Then a fine needle is pushed through the abdominal wall and some fluid can be drawn into an attached syringe. The sample is looked at under the microscope to look for cancer cells.
Laparoscopy. This is a procedure to look inside your abdomen by using a laparoscope. A laparoscope is like a thin telescope with a light source. It is used to light up and magnify the structures inside the abdomen. A laparoscope is passed into the abdomen through a small incision (cut) in the skin. The ovaries and other internal organs can be seen and biopsies (small samples) can be taken to be looked at under the microscope to detect and confirm cancer cells.

Even with the above tests, the exact stage (extent of spread) may not be known until after an operation to treat the cancer.

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