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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can A PAP Smear Test Be Helpful In Assessing Cancer?

I had a pap smear which indicated cancer cells present. I have a biopsy scheduled in two weeks. I m 52 years old, been amenorrhea for the past 10 years with no known cause other than obesity, have since lost almost 90 pounds and have had an irregular cycle over the past year. Can pap smears indicating cancer cells be false or is the pap smear reading indicative of cancer?
Mon, 2 Feb 2015
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Radiologist,  's  Response
Hi,
Thanks for writing in.

The cells in a pap smear are scraped from the cervix region of the uterus and stained with a special stain to look for any cancer cells under a microscope. Microscopically, finding atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) are the basis of suspecting a cancer in the earliest stages. Finding cells of ASCUS or LSIS type usually has an accuracy of 70 to 80 percent that there is some form of cancerous process that might have started. This means in the remaining 20 percent the pap smear results can be inaccurate. Therefor the requirement of a biopsy to confirm should whether a patient has cancer and to enable early diagnosis and treatment.
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Can A PAP Smear Test Be Helpful In Assessing Cancer?

Hi, Thanks for writing in. The cells in a pap smear are scraped from the cervix region of the uterus and stained with a special stain to look for any cancer cells under a microscope. Microscopically, finding atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) are the basis of suspecting a cancer in the earliest stages. Finding cells of ASCUS or LSIS type usually has an accuracy of 70 to 80 percent that there is some form of cancerous process that might have started. This means in the remaining 20 percent the pap smear results can be inaccurate. Therefor the requirement of a biopsy to confirm should whether a patient has cancer and to enable early diagnosis and treatment.