Abnormal Cell Pap Smear

An abnormal cell Pap smear may be due to various factors. Pap smear is the most important test to reveal the presence of cervical abnormalities that can develop into cancer. Pap smear also helps to detect different bacterial and viral infections on the cervix and in the vagina. The results of this test do not always provide a faithful diagnosis since it is directed just to detect, but not to diagnose abnormalities. For a better evaluation of cervical tissues, besides Pap smear, such procedures as colposcopy and biopsy are also commonly used.

An abnormal cell Pap smear goes undetected in some cases because there are some factors that impede a good evaluation of cytological samples. It is not recommended to perform Pap smear in period of menses, and if an inflammation is observed on the cervix. In addition, women should not use vaginal medications, tampons and douches two days prior to Pap smear. When these rules are not respected, there are a lot of chances that the result of the test will be false.

An abnormal cell Pap smear may be suggestive of numerous conditions. Cellular changes in the cervical tissue may occur because of menopause related physiological processes. Virus or bacteria induced inflammation can also make cervical cells look abnormal under the microscope. In women with mild cervical inflammation induced by an infection the cervical cytology generally returns to normal after an adequate antibacterial or antiviral therapy.

A frequent reason for an abnormal cell Pap smear is the condition called cervical dysplasia, a precancerous disease. Usually it is necessary to perform histological analysis of the cervical tissue (biopsy) in order to diagnose this disease. Depending on the severity of the lesions, there are three stages of cervical dysplasia: mild dysplasia (CIN 1), moderate dysplasia (CIN 2) and severe dysplasia (CIN 3).

In the majority of cases dysplasia of the cervix is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. There are a lot of types of HPV and some of these types, like HPV 16 and 18, are responsible for the progression of dysplasia into cancer. Therefore, it is possible to determine the risk of cancer in women with a history of abnormal cell Pap smear through HPV testing.