What is a Pap Test?
The Pap Test is simply a scraping of the cervix - the opening of the uterus.
This specimen will be obtained during your pelvic examination by your health
care professional. The cells that are collected are sent to our laboratory,
Ketchum, Wood & Burgert Pathology Associates and are examined for changes that may indicate precancerous
abnormalities and cervical cancer, as well as benign conditions, such as infections.
Why do I Need One?
The Pap Test has been around for more than 50 years as a screening procedure, and
in that time, it has reduced deaths from cervical cancer by 70 percent. Regular
pelvic exams that include a Pap Test may lead to early detection of cellular changes that
could lead to cancer.
Early detection may allow your physician to use less severe treatments, which
may preserve your ability to still bear children. If detected early and treated
promptly, most cervical cancers are curable.
The Processing of My Pap Test
Your health care professional has selected Ketchum, Wood & Burgert Pathology Associates
to process your Pap Test. Our laboratory has been serving the medical community for 50
years. We meet all federal and State of Florida licensure requirements and we are
accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
A unique identification system will be used to track your specimen in our lab. Your Pap
Test will be stained with special dyes that assist in detecting changes in cells. Your
Pap slide will then be examined with a microscope that magnifies the cells. All slides
are examined by a specially trained technologist known as a cytotechnologist,
who locates questionable and abnormal cells for review by a Pathologist, a
physician specially trained in cytology.
If your last Pap Test was abnormal and was screened at Ketchum, Wood & Burgert Pathology
Associates, the current Pap Test will be compared to the previous case. Additionally, if
your health care professional elects to submit a biopsy at the same time as the Pap Test,
both specimens are reviewed by a Pathologist.
Our extensive quality control and quality assurance policies exceed state and national
requirements and reflect our commitment to provide high quality service to our patients
and our clients.
What do these Results Mean
The Pap report that your health care professional receives from Ketchum, Wood & Burgert
Pathology Associates uses the nationally accepted standard, the Bethesda System. An
important part of this system is the evaluation of specimen adequacy. This indicates
whether the specimen has been collected from the part of the cervix where most cervical
cancers arise.
Your Pap report may contain technical terms that you are not familiar with. Some of
these terms include:
- Negative for Intraepithelial Lesion or Malignancy - Negative category
- Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASCUS)
- Cellular changes are present which cannot be clearly diagnosed as either
benign or precancerous.
- Low Grade Lesion and High Grade Lesion
-Describes the degree of abnormal changes seen in the cells. This may include
changes associated with condyloma, which is caused by the human papillomavirus
(HPV).
Remember, it is very important to discuss anything you don’t understand
with your health care professional.
Things I need to know!
- How often should I get a Pap?
- Once a year if you are sexually active or as recommended by your health care professional.
- What is the best time to schedule my Pap?
- One to two weeks after your menstrual period is over.
- After any bleeding or infection in the vagina has been treated or is cleared up.
- Important Preparations
- Do not have sexual intercourse for 2 days before the test.
- Do not put anything in the vagina for 2 days before the test. No tampons, sponges,
douches, cervical caps, diaphragms, creams or foams.
- What can I do to avoid cervical cancer?
- Get regular Pap Tests and pelvic exams.
- Keep follow-up appointments as scheduled.
- Be honest with your health care professional as to your medical history and symptoms.
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