Cervical cancer was once the leading cause of cancer death in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has decreased over the past 40 years, primarily because of the prevalence of cervical cell testing, known as the...
What is a Pap Smear (or a Papanicolauo's Test)? Pap smears, also called cervical smears, are very important for women who start having sex in their early teens. This may be because the young cervix is more vulnerable to cancerous changes when...
An obstetrician/gynecologist gives a woman a Pap smear during her annual gynecological examination, which checks for abnormalities in her cervix. The American Pregnancy Association recommends that women get their yearly Pap smear by age 21 or...
A pap test or pap smear is a test that physicians use to look for changes in the cells of the cervix, the opening of the uterus that sits at the top of the vagina. During a pap test, a physician or nurse practitioner will collect sample cervical...
In 2001, the Bethesda System was developed and is now widely used for classification of pap smears, according to the American Social Health Association. This system groups types of abnormal paps together and makes it easier for clinicians to know...
There are approximately 15 different types of human papillomavirus (HPV) that are sexually transmitted that cause infection and can lead to cervical cancer. HPV infection can cause cells to change to a precancerous state, sometimes eventually...
Elbow dysplasia is a general term used to describe a degenerative disease that affects dogs, according to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. The condition, which can cause lameness, may encompass any of several conditions, such as...
The pap smear is a laboratory test that is performed on cervical cells to determine whether cellular changes are present. These changes can indicate a precancerous condition or the presence of cancer in the female reproductive tract....
Cervical dysplasia is a condition characterized by the presence of abnormal or precancerous cells on the surface of the cervix. According to the Cleveland Clinic website, cervical dysplasia may be linked to the human papilloma virus (HPV). Mild...
The National Institute of Health reports that human papillomavirus, or HPV causes most cases of cervical cancer and dysplasia. Cervical dysplasia refers to a condition characterized by an abnormal growth of cells on the cervix, indicating the...
The most common cause of an abnormal Pap smear is the presence of the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus, or HPV, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. A Pap smear checks for abnormal changes in the cells...
Dysplasia is a medical term that literally means “disordered growth” and can be applied to numerous systems in the body. It means that the size or shape of affected cells have been affected by abnormal growth. Each type of dysplasia...
The cervix is the opening of the uterus and is located in the upper end of the vagina. Cervical dysplasia is a medical condition that occurs when the cells of the cervix change. This abnormal change typically stems from an infection to the cervix....
