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Pap test
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The Pap test, which almost everyone just calls the Pap, means collecting cells from the cervix, the lower part of the uterus, and looking at them under a microscope to see how they look. That is all it judges: the appearance of those cervical cells, the ones from the cervix. It is like inspecting the parts in a shipment one by one, not to find out who sent them, but to see whether any of them came in misshapen.
The Pap is usually mentioned alongside the HPV test, which does not look at the appearance of any cell: what it looks for is infection with the high-risk types of the virus. That is why they are not asking the same thing; each one answers something different. And the Pap is a screening test, meaning it is done when there is still nothing to feel: its job is to catch changes in the cells before any symptom shows up.
In brief
In a Papanicolaou test, or Pap test, cells are collected from the cervix and examined for cellular changes.
A Pap test examines the appearance of cervical cells. An HPV test looks for infection with high-risk HPV types. The two tests answer different questions.
The Pap test is used for screening: it looks for cellular changes in people who do not yet have symptoms.
Sources (1)
- National Cancer InstituteCervical Cancer ScreeningPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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