After a diagnosis is made, further tests are often needed to find out about the size and position of the cancer, and whether it has spread. This process is called staging, and may take some time. The results will help you and your doctor to decide on the best treatment for you. These tests may be done again (during treatment, or when treatment ends) to check the effectiveness of the treatment. Although tests are useful, no one test can diagnose a vulval cancer. Occasionally other medical conditions can give similar results, making it difficult to decide what is and is not cancer. Doctors piece together information from different tests and examinations, along with your symptoms and medical history. They then put all this information in context.

The following tests are most often used with cancer of the vulva.

A sample of your blood is taken to check your general health, the number of cells in your blood (blood count) and to see how well your kidneys and liver are working.

This is taken to check that your lungs and heart are healthy.

A CT scan takes a series of x-rays, which builds up a three-dimensional picture of the inside of the body. The scan is painless but takes from 10 to 30 minutes. CT scans use a small amount of radiation, which will be very unlikely to harm you and will not harm anyone you come into contact with. You will be asked not to eat or drink for at least four hours before the scan.

You may be given a drink or injection of a dye which allows particular areas to be seen more clearly. For a few minutes, this may make you feel hot all over. If you are allergic to iodine or have asthma you could have a more serious reaction to the injection, so it is important to let your doctor know beforehand.

You will probably be able to go home as soon as the scan is over.

This test is similar to a CT scan but uses magnetism instead of x‑rays to build up a detailed picture of areas of your body.

During the test you will be asked to lie very still on a couch inside a long tube for about 30 minutes. It is painless but can be slightly uncomfortable, and some people feel a bit claustrophobic during the scan. It is also noisy, but you will be given earplugs or headphones. Some people are given an injection of dye into a vein in the arm, but this usually does not cause any discomfort. It will probably take several days to get the results of your tests, and this waiting period is likely to be a worrying time for you.

This is an examination of the vulva carried out under a general anaesthetic. It allows the doctor to examine you thoroughly without causing any discomfort and to check the extent of the cancer.