Pap Smear

A Pap smear (Papanicolau smear, also known as the Pap test) is a screening test for cervical cancer. The test itself involves the collection of a sample of cells from a woman’s cervix (the end of the uterus that extends into the vagina) during a routine pelvic exam. The cells are placed on a glass slide and stained with a substance known as Papanicolau stain. The stained cells are then examined under a microscope to look for pre-malignant (before-cancer) or malignant (cancer) changes. Are you searching for Gynecology Brooklyn? Doral Health and Wellness — Women’s Health Center is the best option for you.

A Pap smear is a simple, quick, and relatively painless screening test. Its specificity, which means its ability to avoid classifying a routine smear as abnormal (a “false positive” result), while very good, is not perfect. The sensitivity of a Pap smear, which means its ability to detect every single abnormality, while good, also is not excellent, and some “false negative” results (in which abnormalities are present but not detected by the test) will occur. Thus, a few women develop cervical cancer despite having regular Pap screening.

In the vast majority of cases, a Pap test does identify minor cellular abnormalities before they have had a chance to become malignant, and at a point when the condition is most easily treatable. The Pap smear is not intended to detect other forms of cancer, such as the ovary, vagina, or uterus. Cancer of these organs may be discovered during the gynecologic (pelvic) exam, usually done at the same time as the Pap smear.