Pap Test

The Pap smear has been a highly successful screening tool for the detection and prevention of cervical cancer and its precursors. Since its introduction in the 1940’s, the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear test for cervical screening has reduced cervical cancer mortality in the U.S. by approximately 70 percent. This dramatic decrease in invasive cervical cancer is due to years of dedication and effort by clinicians and laboratory professionals. Despite considerable success in decreasing the incidence of invasive cervical cancer, it is important to acknowledge the role of the Pap smear as a screening test for cervical cancer and its precursors. As with any screening test, both false positive and false negative rates are inherent limitations (^{1, 2}).

EPI offers the ThinPrep Pap with computer guided imaging, the SurePath pap and the conventional pap smear. Both liquid based pap methodologies yield increased sensitivity over the conventional pap smear, as well as a significant reduction in the incidence of an unsatisfactory pap diagnosis.

Additional benefits of the liquid-based Pap include the ability to order ancillary testing out of the same Pap collection vial. Ancillary tests that may be ordered from the liquid-based Pap include:

• Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
• Chlamydia trachomatis (CT)
• Neisseria gonorrhea (NG)
• Herpes Simplex Virus 1/2 (HSV)

Eastside Pathology will continue to implement additional ancillary tests as they become available.

1 Robb JA. The Pap smear is a cancer screening test: why not put the screening error rate in the report?
Diagn Cytopathol. 1993;9:485-486.

2 Mitchell H. Report disclaimers and informed expectations about Papanicolaou smears; an Australian view.
Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1997;121:327-330.