Finding Abnormal Cells
The Pap Test
The HPV Test
How Is the HPV Test Done?
When Is an HPV Test Useful?
The Pap test finds certain cell changes before they lead to cancer
or cause you to have symptoms.
These cell changes can almost always be treated so that you don't
get cancer of the cervix. Most changes in the cervix happen
very slowly.
If the lab finds cell changes, the Pap test result is called "positive"
or abnormal. If cells look healthy, the result is called "negative"
or normal.
The Pap test is not always 100-percent accurate. If the test misses
cell changes once, they can often be found the next time you have
one. This is why it is very important that you have regular Pap
tests. You should also go back to your health care provider for care
if you get an abnormal result.
The Pap Test and DES
If you were born between 1940 and 1971, and your mother was
given a synthetic form of the hormone
estrogen
called
diethylstilbestrol (DES)
when she was pregnant with you, be
sure to tell your doctor. Your doctor will want to take additional
cells to check for a rare type of cancer.
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Almost all cervical cancer begins as an infection with the virus
called HPV. An HPV test, which is done much like a Pap test, can
detect the virus in cervical cells.
Because health care providers know what causes most cervical
cancers, it is important to get an HPV test if your health care
provider recommends one.
In an HPV test, a small number of cells is collected from the
cervix, much like a Pap test. Sometimes this can be done at the
same time as a Pap test. A lab then checks to see if HPV is present.
An HPV test can be useful in cervical cancer
screening in two ways:
- For women of all ages, an HPV test can be useful as
follow-up to a Pap test with an unclear result of ASC-US (see Table 1).
- If you are age 30 or older, an HPV test can be very useful if
it is done together with a Pap test as a routine screening for
cancer once every 3 years.
But if you are under age 30, getting an HPV and a Pap test
together on a regular basis is not helpful. HPV tests can lead to
unnecessary treatment, because HPV infection is very common
in women under 30 and usually goes away on its own. This is
why cervical cancer is very rare for women in this age group.
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