• About Pap tests or Pap smears
• What is a Pap test?
• Where can I have a Pap test?
• When should I have Pap tests?
• How much do Pap tests cost?
• Pap test reminder letters
• Benefits of the Pap test
• What to expect for your first Pap test
• Tips to assist you
• Limitations of the Pap test
• Other tests
• Who should have Pap tests or Pap smears?
• The human papillomavirus (HPV)
• The cervical cancer vaccine
• Abnormal Pap test (or Pap smear) results and treatment
• Cervical cancer

Limitations of the Pap test

No screening test is 100% accurate, however the Pap test has been shown to be an effective tool for preventing cervical cancer.

Pap tests may not always detect cell changes. This may be because:

• The sample does not contain abnormal cells which may be present on the cervix.
• Some samples are hard to interpret. For example, blood or mucus may make it hard to see the cells.
• Occasionally, abnormal cells are missed under the microscope.
• Sometimes abnormal cells occur in cells high up in the cervix or deep in the glands of the cervix (adenocarcinoma). It is not always possible to get samples from these areas.

However, most cases of cervical cancer take up to 10 years to develop, so having a Pap test regularly means changes missed on one test are usually found on the next, well before they become a problem.

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