Treatment - abnormal Pap smear

An abnormal pap smear does not always require special treatment, but it does require follow up. There are three broad categories of abnormal pap smear results:

• Precancerous -- usually reported as "atypical cells" or "Cervical dysplasia"
• Cancerous

If you receive a result stating that you have atypical cells in your cervix, your doctor is likely to treat you for an infection and have you follow up in 4 to 6 months for a repeat pap smear; or he may simply have you follow up in 4 to 6 months for the repeat pap smear.

If you receive a precancerous report, you will likely have a colposcopy and possibly a biopsy. Further treatment will be determined by your physician based on the results of these tests.

The goal for a pap smear is to find a change or abnormality in the cervix before it becomes cancerous.

Images

Pap smear

Pap smears and cervical cancer

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Pap smear and treatment Prevention

Review Date: 12/01/2005
Reviewed By: Sharon Roseanne Thompson, M.D., M.P.H., Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)