Contact Maureen McArthur
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"Because of its effectiveness, a Pap
smear can save your life," said Susan Spires, M.D., assistant professor, Department
of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UK College of Medicine. "All women should get
annual Pap exams both for themselves and for those who love them."
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LEXINGTON, KY (May 17, 1999) – In
commemoration of the birthday of George N. Papanicolaou, M.D., Ph.D., inventor of the
"Pap" smear test, in May, University of Kentucky College of Medicine Department
of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine are
reminding women to get annual Pap exams. The Pap smear, developed in the 1930s, is a test
that can detect very early changes in cervical cells, which then can be treated before
they become cancerous. "Because of its effectiveness, a Pap smear can save your
life," said Susan Spires, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Pathology and
Laboratory Medicine, UK College of Medicine. "All women should get annual Pap exams
both for themselves and for those who love them."
According to the College of American Pathologists, death rates from uterine cervical
cancer have decreased 70 percent in the United States since the Pap smear exam was
introduced, and four out of five women who die of cervical cancer in the United States
have not had a Pap smear exam in at least five years.
Any woman can develop cervical cancer. However, a woman is at higher risk for cervical
cancer if she has had multiple sexual partners or a sexual partner who has had multiple
partners, genital warts, sex before the age of 18, or a past abnormal Pap exam result.
All women who are sexually active or over the age of 18 should have annual Pap exams,
including women who have gone through menopause or had a hysterectomy.
The best time to have a Pap exam is during the two weeks after the end of the menstrual
period. In order to obtain a good sample, women should refrain from sexual activity and
using douches or lubricants 48 hours before the exam.
A Pap exam most often is done at the same time as a pelvic examination. Your physician
painlessly scrapes cells from the surface of the cervix using a small, special brush. The
cervical cells then are placed on a glass slide and sent to a laboratory.
The cells are stained at the laboratory and examined by trained cytotechnologists. If
any irregularity is discovered, a pathologist re-examines the sample and gives a final
diagnosis.
An abnormal Pap smear result may indicate precancer, or changes in cervical cells that
could lead to cervical cancer if not treated. It also may indicate cell changes that are
non-cancerous. If an abnormal Pap smear result is obtained, your physician will obtain
tissue biopsies from the cervix for further study by a pathologist to determine if the
changes are precancerous, a condition called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia or CIN.
"Over 90 percent of women with CIN can be treated either with laser therapy or
loop electrode excision procedure of the cervix," said John R. van Nagell Jr., M.D.,
professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UK College of Medicine, and chief,
gynecologic oncology division. "These procedures usually can be performed in the
physician’s office with minimal discomfort to the patient and few
complications."
Caught early, cervical precancer or cancer often can be cured. So don’t wait
– in remembrance of Dr. Pap’s birthday, schedule your annual Pap exam. |
