bagi mereka yang sudah pun mendirikan rumahtangga ataupun pada sesiapa yang aktif dalam hubungan seksual ni perlu mendapatkan dan menjalani ujian pap smear..bukannya lama pun nak wat ujian ni kejap jer..tapi masih ramai di antara kita yang masih malu2 dan malas nak wat..antar faktor yang paling utama ialah MALU..betul tak?? kalau x betul iyerkan jerlah..he..he..ramai yang pernah mendengar Pap Smear, tapi ramai yang tak tahu apa itu pap smear..so check it outtt..
Pap smears are designed to pick up changes in the cells of the cervix that may lead to cause cancer. These changes form a sort of spectrum with cancer at one end. Early detection of pre- cancerous cells allows intervention that may well prevent the woman developing cancer.
There are two main types of cervical cancer Pap smears are designed to pick up changes consistent with squamous cell carcinoma – the most common type of cancer.
Pap smears may incidentally identify some other things not related to cancer but these are not the reason for doing the test.
2. How reliable is a Pap Smear ?
It is claimed that "regular pap smear tests every two years can prevent the most common type of cancer of the cervix in 90% of cases " ( Pap Smear Test results - a guide for women with an abnormal pap smear – Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services 1997) . It’s important to remember however that a Pap smear is a screening test and as such is not a perfect diagnostic tool. However cervical cancer is generally accepted as a slow developing cancer maybe taking up top 10 years to develop. If symptoms are present, even with a normal result further investigations are probably warranted. Also a Pap Smear is done at one point in time and although it is thought that statistically it is not appropriate to screen the general population any more frequently than 2 years (or shorter in certain groups like those with previous abnormalities) if symptoms arise in the interim – don’t ignore them just because your last smear was ok !
3. What things may cause a pap smear to not be reliable ?
- It is possible for the area of the cervix containing an abnormality to not have been smeared by the test. Doctors should take care to take a sample from both a wide area of the outside surface of the cervix as well as a brush sample from inside the canal. This error may occur may be through poor technique or it may be that the abnormal cells were too far up the canal and so out of "reach" .
- Sometimes interpretation can be difficult because the sample is obscured by debris – blood mucus or inflammatory cells. These may not be visible to the naked eye.
- Human error is possible when the slide is looked at under the microscope.