Abnormal Cell in Pap Smear

Various health problems may be responsible for the presence of abnormal cell in Pap smear. Pap smear is performed mainly in order to reveal precancerous and cancerous lesions on the cervix or in the vagina. Furthermore, different viral and bacterial infections can also be detected through Pap smear test. Since Pap smear is in general a screening test, an accurate diagnosis of a condition is made using other diagnostic procedures such as colposcopy, HPV testing and biopsy.

Pap smear may provide a false result if the cervical sample is taken in a woman with cervical inflammation or in period of menses. In such cases, abnormal cell in Pap smear may go undetected because inflammation and menstrual flow impede the cytological analysis. Moreover, to assure the accuracy of the test it is necessary to refrain from vaginal use of medications and sexual contacts before Pap smear test.

An abnormal cell in Pap smear does not always occur because of the presence of cervical cancer. Sometimes, abnormalities appear if there is an inflammation caused by different bacteria such as mycoplasma, chlamydia, trichomonas or ureaplasma. After the cause of inflammation is eliminated through an appropriate therapy, Pap smear generally returns to normal.

The detection of an abnormal cell in Pap smear may be suggestive of a condition called cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or cervical dysplasia. There are three stages of CIN: CIN 1 (mild cervical dysplasia), CIN 2 (moderate cervical dysplasia) and CIN 3 (severe cervical dysplasia). For patients diagnosed with CIN 1 (mild dysplasia) it is often prescribed to come within several months for a repeated Pap smear, without special therapy. In many cases CIN 1 (mild dysplasia) regresses on its own. If CIN 1 does not regress and it is still observed during follow-up examination, the woman may be referred for an HPV DNA test and colposcopy.

When Pap smear result is indicative of CIN 2 (moderate dysplasia) or CIN 3 (severe dysplasia), the woman should have colposcopic examination with biopsy. Biopsy means removal of small piece of tissue for histological analysis which helps to better assess the present lesions and make an accurate diagnosis. If an abnormal cell in Pap smear is spotted and the results of histological analysis show CIN 3, it may be required to resort to a surgery for removal of the lesions.