Pap smear

Pap smear (pap is an abbreviationfor papanicolaou), as it is currently known (smear test in some countries), is an invention of Dr. Georgios Papanikolaou(1883-1962), a Greek who later immigrated to the United States, the father of cytopathology.

Based on his thirty years of work at New York Hospitaland the Weill Medical Collegeof Cornell University, Papanikolaou published a large series of cases in Diagnosis of uterine cancer by the vaginal smear (Papanicolaou & Traut, 1943). The sampling technique has hardly changed ever since.

The test is simple and effective, consisting of a simple cervicalswab to collect a sampling of cells. These cells are placed on a glass slide and checked for abnormalities in the laboratory. Approximately five to seven percent of pap smears produce abnormal results, such as dysplasia, a possibly pre-cancerous condition. Many of these abnormalities are not due to cervical cancer, but they are an indicator that increased vigilance is needed.

Depending on the guidelines of the screening programme in a given country, it is recommended that all sexually active women have an annual or biannual pap smear and examination to detect any cancerin its early stages. If a smear returns abnormal results, and depending on the nature of the abnormality, the test may need to be repeated in three to twelve months. If the abnormality requires closer scrutiny, the patient may be referred for a colposcopy.

In the United States, doctors who fail to diagnosecervical cancer from a pap smear have been convicted of negligent homicide. In 1988and 1989, Karin Smith had received pap smears which were argued to have "unequivocally" shown that she had cancer; however, the lab had not made the diagnosis. She consequently died on March 81995. After her death, a doctorand laboratorytechnician were found to be guilty of negligent homicide.

External links

• Questions and Answers about the Pap test (USNIH)
• eMedicine Health Pap Smear
• Cervical Cancer: Prevention/Screeningfrom MedlinePlus
• The Bethesda 2001 Workshop, held April 30 - May 2, 2001, reviewed issues regarding terminology and reporting of cervical cytology
• NCI Bethesda System Web Atlas 349 Pap smear imagesfrom American Society of Cytopathologyde:PAP-Test

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pap+smear Wikipedia article Pap smear.