An abnormal Pap smear can indicate the presence of HPV, the most common STD. HPV can cause cervical dysplasia, which can lead to cervical cancer if left untreated. Regular Pap smears can detect abnormalities caused by HPV, allowing for early diagnosis and treatment. HPV can lie dormant for years before being detected, and an abnormal Pap smear does not necessarily mean cancer. A colposcopy may be ordered to determine if cells are precancerous, and surgery may be necessary to remove malignant tissue.
When a woman receives news of an abnormal Papanicolaou test (Pap smear), it is often an indicator that she has contracted human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD). In most cases, the immune system handles the virus and the infected individual does not experience any symptoms. Certain types of HPV can, however, cause precancerous cells to develop in the cervix, a condition known as cervical dysplasia. If left untreated, dysplasia can develop into cervical cancer. Thus, an abnormal Pap smear and HPV have an important relationship, with the Pap smear serving as an important tool in the early diagnosis and treatment of cervical abnormalities.
All women today should have regular Pap smears, about once a year, to detect any abnormalities caused by infections such as HPV. Before the widespread use of the Pap smear, many more women suffered and died from cervical cancer. Thanks to the ease with which an abnormal Pap smear and HPV can detect precancerous cells and lesions, far fewer women are dying of cervical cancer today.
An abnormal Pap smear and HPV do not necessarily mean that a woman has only recently contracted the virus; HPV can lie dormant in an individual for years before being detected by abnormal test results. As a result, it is often impossible to find out exactly where, how and from whom HPV was contracted. After being inactive for a period of time, an HPV strain could become active for a variety of reasons – a stressful life change or illness could, for example, trigger HPV symptoms.
Detection of an abnormal Pap smear and HPV is often an indicator of precancer, but not necessarily. HPV can affect cervical cells in a way that doesn’t turn out to be cancerous. Other noncancerous abnormalities caused by HPV include genital warts. To determine whether the abnormal cells are precancerous, a doctor often orders a colposcopy, a procedure in which the cervix is examined under a high-powered microscope. If a doctor finds reason to believe the cells are precancerous, he or she may order a surgical procedure to remove the cervical tissue.
Often, an abnormal Pap smear and HPV do not require any type of precancer surgery; in many cases, the body is able to correct the abnormal cells on its own. In some cases, however, it may be necessary to remove the malignant cervical tissue. If doctors suspect the cells may be developing into cancer, they order a surgical procedure, such as a cone biopsy or a LEEP procedure, to remove cervical tissue. Any tissue that is removed is then sent to a lab for further analysis.
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