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Pap Smear and Cervical Cancer
 Pap
Smear
is a test that is done to verify the changes occurring to the cells of the
cervix. It is usually done as a diagnosis procedure to confirm a suspected
cervical cancer or other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) like trichomoniasis.
Cervical cancer rarely displays any symptoms in its earlier stages and
Pap Smear is the only way to find out if there indeed is any damage.
The procedure of Pap Smear is simple and will be over in few minutes. It involves pushing a device called
speculum into the vagina so that cervix will be clearly visible to the doctor. This procedure may cause a bit of irritation to the patient, but it is not painful.
Then the doctor collects cells from the cervical surface using a tiny brush and 'Smears' it on a glass slide before sending it for laboratory examinations. The results of Pap
Smear must arrive within two weeks time.
An abnormal Pap Smear result however does not always indicate cervical cancer. It can be due to other reasons as well, such an STD infection. If the changes are minor, hence, the doctors might ask the patient to appear for another Pap
Smear after few weeks or months. Such a test again after some time will reveal if there is really anything to worry about.
In the second test as well, if there is an abnormality that is indicative of a cancerous growth, then further treatment procedures will be initiated or refer the patient to a specialist for further diagnosis and treatment.
The exact cause of cervical cancer is not clearly known to medical science. But, various studies have confirmed that certain factors can actually increase the risk of getting it; for example, age (higher the age, more are the chances), human papilloma virus (off the 200 odd types of the virus, only three are linked to cervical cancer), and smoking (again, a conclusion based on researches).
The human papilloma virus is transmitted during sexual intercourse. This is the reason why the cancer of the cervix is considered a sexually transmitted disease. Another aspect with human papilloma virus or HPV is that its spreading cannot be prevented with barrier methods of contraception such as the use of latex condoms. The only way to prevent its spreading is to abstain from having sex.
As mentioned earlier, since there will be no definite signs at the early stages of the disease, the only possible chance of diagnosing it is through regular checkups. If diagnosed early, cervical cancer can be treated completely. Else, it could develop into serious problems, sometimes even life threatening.
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