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Summary

The cervix is the lower part of the uterus, the place where a baby grows during pregnancy. Cancer screening is looking for cancer before you have any symptoms. Cancer found early may be easier to treat.

Cervical cancer screening is usually part of a woman's health checkup. There are two types of tests: the Pap test and the HPV test. For both, the doctor or nurse collects cells from the surface of the cervix. With the Pap test, the lab checks the sample for cancer cells or abnormal cells that could become cancer later. With the HPV test, the lab checks for HPV infection. HPV is a virus that spreads through sexual contact. It can sometimes lead to cancer. If your screening tests are abnormal, your doctor may do more tests, such as a biopsy.

Cervical cancer screening has risks. The results can sometimes be wrong, and you may have unnecessary follow-up tests. There are also benefits. Screening has been shown to decrease the number of deaths from cervical cancer. You and your doctor should discuss your risk for cervical cancer, the pros and cons of the screening tests, at what age to start being screened, and how often to be screened.

Start Here

• Cervical Cancer Screening (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Get Screened for Cervical Cancer (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) Also in Spanish
• HPV and Pap Test Results: Next Steps after an Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Test (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Screening for Cervical Cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• I Had a Hysterectomy. Do I Still Need to See My Ob-Gyn? Do I Still Need Pap Tests? (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Pap Smear: Do I Need One If I'm a Virgin? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Cervical Cancer Screening: Frequently Asked Questions (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Colposcopy (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Pap Smear (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Understanding Abnormal Cervical Cancer Screening Results (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Images

• Pap Test (National Cancer Institute)

Statistics and Research

• Pap Tests: FastStats (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Human Papillomavirus DNA Tests (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Papanicolaou Test (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Vaginal Smears (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Cervical cancer screening preference among Inuit women in Nunavik, Quebec.
• Article: Prevalence of cervical dysplastic lesions in cervical smears from Baghdad city:...
• Article: Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection and its Association With Pap...
• Cervical Cancer Screening -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• Choosing a Cancer Doctor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Find a Screening Program Near You (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Pap Smears (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Cervical cancer - screening and prevention (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• HPV test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pap test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish