The Pap test is a study for the early detection of cancer cells which involves collecting material from areas of the body that shed cells or in which shed cells collect, especially in the cervix and the vagina. This material is then prepared for microscopic study by special staining. Analysis of the cells is extremely helpful in diagnosing cancer. Early symptomatic cervical cancer can be detected by cytological examination Cytology is the science that deals with the formation structure and function of cells.
Cervical smears obtained during routine annual pelvic examinations undergo cytological examination.
The Pap test was introduced in the l930s by Dr. George Papanicolaou. Pre-invasive cancer is a stage of a malignancy in which the neoplastic cells have not invaded adjacent tissues. A neoplasm is a new and abnormal formation of tissues as a tumor or a growth. It serves no useful function, but grows at the expense of the healthy organism. Cervical cancer could be eliminated as a cause of death if all women had an annual Pap test.