Overview

Many problems that affect women cannot be detected without thorough periodic examinations by a healthcare professional. Combined with a healthy lifestyle, an annual visit to a healthcare professional is the best way for a woman to preserve her health. Pelvic exams are especially necessary to detect any problems that could easily go unnoticed by a woman.

A woman and her healthcare professional should devise a testing and immunization schedule that best suits her needs. Some women may need to have an exam more often than others depending on past medical history or if they fall into a group at high risk for certain diseases and conditions.

As women progress through life after puberty, their healthcare needs change. They need to update their immunization records and make certain additional tests are performed, such as the Pap Test, breast exams and hormone level screening. It is recommended that all women over the age of 18 or who are sexually active have a Pap test every one to three years^1,2,3. Even women who have gone through menopause need to have Pap tests.

A Pap test enables review of cells collected from epithelial tissue of the cervix to screen for cervical cancer and other abnormalities at an early and treatable stage. Annual Pap tests are especially meaningful during a woman's childbearing years as healthy reproductive organs help prevent problems during pregnancy and childbirth.

A simple Pap test could save your life by identifying pre-cancerous cellular changes that could develop into invasive cancer. If caught early, treatment for cervical cancer can be easier and the chances of curing it are much greater.

How is a Pap test performed?

A sampling device, like a brush or spatula, is used to scrape the surface of a woman’s cervix to collect a sample of cervical cells. If a conventional Pap smear method is used, the sample is smeared onto a microscope slide, sprayed with a fixative and then the sampling device is discarded. Liquid-based Pap testing transfers the cellular material from the sampling device into a preservative vial to be processed at a laboratory. Most physicians use liquid-based Pap testing today due to their greater sensitivity in detecting cancerous and pre-cancerous lesions. The sample and patient information are sent to a clinical laboratory for processing, screening and diagnosis by a qualified professional such as a cytotechnologist. Any abnormality is additionally reviewed by a Pathologist.

What is a Liquid-based Pap Test?

A liquid-based Pap test sample is collected like any other Pap, but after sample collection the cervical cells to be screened are transferred into a preservative vial for processing instead of being smeared onto a slide. With some liquid-based Pap tests the collected cells are transferred by rinsing the collection devices in the preservative vials, but only the BD SurePath™ liquid-based Pap test uses collection devices with detachable heads that are deposited directly into the preservative vial. This method ensures 100% of the collected cells are sent to the laboratory for processing and not accidentally discarded on the sampling device. Discarding cells on a sampling device could mean the difference in finding disease and missing it.

Once at the lab, the BD SurePath™ liquid-based Pap test is specially processed to remove undesirable obscuring material like blood or mucus, creating a uniquely clear slide that is easy to screen.

BD SurePath™ liquid-based Pap test
Conventional Slide Inflammation	BD SurePath™ Pap Slide Split Sample After Cell Enrichment	Conventional Slide Bloody Specimen	BD SurePath™ Pap Slide Split Sample After Cell Enrichment
The split sample, same patient with very different results.

By making the cervical cells easier to see, the BD SurePath™ liquid-based Pap test produces better results for screening and detecting cervical cancer and its precursors.

Compared to a conventional Pap smear, BD SurePath™ Pap increases the detection of a significant pre-cancerous condition, HSIL+ (High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion), by 64.4%⁴. The BD SurePath™ process also significantly reduces 'Unsatisfactory' and 'Satisfactory but limited by' cases⁵, where cells on the slide are too difficult to see or too few to accurately screen – meaning fewer missed tests and call-backs for retesting.

There are no risks involved with having a Pap test. Occasionally women will have a small amount of bleeding or spotting from the vagina after the test. This is not uncommon in pregnant women particularly because the cervix tends to bleed more easily during pregnancy. When part of a routine pelvic exam, the Pap test only takes about 2-3 minutes.

A positive Pap test result simply means abnormal cells are present and additional screening is needed to determine why. Depending on the specific results of your Pap test, your medical history and your physician's practice patterns, your physician may perform additional tests, request you return for a second Pap test, or perform a colposcopy. A colposcopic examination uses a colposcope that acts like a microscope, allowing your healthcare provider to closely see the vagina and the cervix. Your healthcare provider may take a small amount of tissue from the cervix, called a biopsy, to examine for any abnormal cells.

Protect Yourself. Schedule a Pap test annually.

Any woman can get cancer of the cervix. Chances of getting cervical cancer increase when a woman starts having intercourse before age 18, has many sexual partners, has sexual partners who have other sexual partners, has or has had human papilloma virus (HPV), genital warts or a sexually transmitted disease, is over the age of 60 and/or smokes.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2007, about 11,150 cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. Cervical cancer was once one of the most common causes of cancer death for American women. Between 1955 and 1992, the number of cervical cancer deaths in the United States declined by 74%. The death rate from cervical cancer continues to decline by about 2% each year. The main reason for this change is attributed to the increased use of the Pap test⁶; however, still fewer than 40% of U.S. women have had a Pap test in the last 12 months⁷.

If you have any questions about the Pap test or BD SurePath™ liquid-based Pap test, please consult with your healthcare provider.