Regular cervical smears are important for women’s preventative healthcare. The test is used to detect cervical cell abnormalities that can lead to cervical cancer.
What is a Cervical Smear?
The cervical smear test is known by several other names, including the Papanicolaou test, and the Pap smear. The test is named for Georgios Papanikolaou, the doctor who invented the procedure.
A cervical smear is a routine test that can be performed by a general practitioner, although many women choose to visit a gynecologist. During the test, a sample of cells is taken from the cervix. The cells are then tested in a laboratory to detect signs of cancer and cellular abnormalities that may lead to cancer.
Why is the Smear Test Important?
A cervical smear is a preventative healthcare test women can opt for to protect themselves against cervical cancer. Globally, cervical cancer is the fifth most deadly for women. In countries where cervical smear testing is routine for women, the incidence is much lower. In the U.S., for example, cervical cancer is the eighth most common for women.
The cervical smear test is important for women because it can effectively prevent the development of cervical cancer. The test can detect the cancer itself – allowing women to obtain early treatment and improve their chances of full recovery – and it can also detect cellular changes that may lead to cancer.
Getting a regular cervical smear test for early cancer detection is particularly important because women who develop cervical cancer often have few symptoms until the cancer has progressed significantly. Up to 80% of American women diagnosed with cervical cancer have not had a smear test in the five years prior to diagnosis, and many have never had a smear test at all.
Cervical Smear Procedure
Getting a cervical smear test is quick, but the test can be uncomfortable. During the procedure an instrument called a speculum is placed inside the vagina. The speculum expands once it has been inserted, to provide easier access to the cervix. Next, the doctor will use a small spatula to scrape a small amount of mucus and tissue from the cervix. Once the sample is taken, the doctor can then remove the speculum.
The sample is sent to a laboratory, where it is tested for the presence of cancerous cells, and for abnormal cells that may develop into cancer.
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