He concluded that finding such shed cells should help make a diagnosis of those cancers. When Dr. Papanicolaou presented his results in 1928, cancer experts were not impressed. After 10 more years of relative obscurity, Dr. Papanicolaou's smear method was finally tested in clinical trials, which established that the test also revealed pathological cells in precancerous states. His landmark paper was published in 1941, and the Pap smear test gradually became a standard for screening women. The American Cancer Society now recommends that all women 18 and older get Pap smears annually.
Pap smears can also detect herpes, human papilloma virus infections, and cervical dysplasia.
Dr. Papanicolaou made the shortlist for the 1960 Nobel Prize in Medicine, but didn't receive the award. In 1978, the U.S. put his picture on a stamp. Today, the graduating class of Cornell Medical School takes its Hippocratic oath under a maple tree planted in his honor in front of the school. The tree is a sapling from the original Hippocratic maple on the island of Cos. Dr. Raju is a neonatologist and professor of pediatrics at the University of Illinois in Chicago.