Pap smear

Scientific  

/ păp /

1. A screening test, especially for cervical cancer, in which a smear of cells scraped from the cervix or vagina is treated with a chemical stain and examined under a microscope for pathological changes. Pap smears are performed routinely during gynecological exams.

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Example Sentences

Doctors typically swab a patient’s cervix in clinical settings to test for high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus, an infection that can cause cancer when left untreated, through Pap smears and HPV testing.

From The Wall Street Journal

Pap smears are especially traumatic when providers fail to respond compassionately to patients’ pain.

From Salon

This is after a big decline in cervical cancer rates over the past half-century due to early detection from Pap smears and HPV screening tests.

From Science Daily

She had a history of abnormal Pap smears showing she had a carcinogenic type of the human papillomavirus, HPV, which meant she should have received specified regular screenings, according to the lawsuit.

From Seattle Times

“Every aspect of healthcare here in Alabama to me is 20 years back,” Smith, who is from Ohio, said as she waited in an exam room for a Pap smear.

From Los Angeles Times