Pap test

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Pap test

Pap test Pap smear, or Papanicolaou test , medical procedure used to detect cancer of the uterine cervix. A scraping, brushing, or smear, is taken from the surface of the vagina or cervix and is prepared on a slide and stained for microscopic examination and cytological analysis. The appearance of the cells determines whether they are normal, suspicious, or cancerous. Although the test is 80% to 95% reliable, results termed suspicious may indicate infection or some abnormal condition other than cancer. The smear technique is also used to detect cancer of other tissues, e.g., in the bladder. The Pap test was developed by G. N. Papanicolaou and H. F. Traut in 1943.

Bibliography: See U.S. National Institute of Health, Cervical Cancer Screening (1981) and Improving the Quality of Clinician Pap Smear Technique (1989).

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Pap test

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Pap test / pap/ • n. a test to detect cancer of the cervix or uterus, using a specimen of cellular material from the neck of the uterus spread on a microscope slide ( Pap smear).

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pap smear test

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

pap smear test Sample of cells from the female genital tract, specially stained to detect malignant or premalignant disease. It is named after its discoverer, George Papanicolaou.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Landmark Study by National Cancer Institute Validates Use of Human Papillomavirus Testing for Inconclusive Pap Tests. Business Wire; 2/20/2001
	Pap Tests as Important as Ever for Cervical Health. Business Wire; 1/17/2008
	Women ignoring checkup guidelines. (Your Life).(statistics on gynecological exams, pap tests) Magazine article from: USA Today (Magazine); 1/1/2003

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