If the hysterectomy was performed for the treatment of cancer or a precancerous condition, the end of the vaginal canal still needs to be sampled for abnormal changes. However, it is still important for a woman to have regular gynecologic examinations as part of her health care. These may wash away or hide abnormal cells. Most laboratories in the United States now use the Bethesda System to report Pap test results. The Bethesda System uses descriptive terms rather than class numbers, which were used to report Pap test results in the past.
Squamous cells are the thin flat cells that form the surface of the cervix.
High-grade means that there are a large number of precancerous cells that look very different from normal cells. HSIL is more severe and has a higher likelihood of progressing to invasive cancer. About 50 million Pap tests are performed each year in the United States with 5 to 10 percent reported as abnormal. A physician may simply describe Pap test results to a patient as abnormal. Cells on the surface of the cervix sometimes appear abnormal but are not cancerous.