What is a Pap test?

The Papanicolaou (Pap) test is nearly universally accepted as an excellent screening test for cervical cancer. Dr. George Papanicolaou was a pathologist working at Cornell University in New York. He was viewing cells under a microscope that were taken from a smear or swab of fluid from a patient's vagina, when he discovered the presence of cancer cells. He titled his 1928 paper, "New Cancer Diagnosis." Later, he began working with a gynecologist named Dr. Herbert Traut, examining vaginal smears from female patients in the Cornell Hospital system. They published their now-famous book, "Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer by the Vaginal Smear," in 1943. Since that time, the Pap smear has become the most widely used and successful cancer screening test in the world. Over the past 50 to 60 years, the death rate from cervical cancer has dropped precipitously, mainly thanks to the Pap test.

A Pap test is part of a regular pelvic exam for most women. During the test, your doctor collects a small sample of cells from the cervix, the lower part of your uterus. The cells are sent to a lab and tested to see if they contain certain changes that could turn into cervical cancer.

When your Pap test result is "abnormal," it means that the test found some cells that don't look normal. They may not be cancer, but you may need more testing to find out.