Pap Smear (cont.)
In this Article
What are the risks of having a Pap smear?
There are absolutely no known medical risks associated with Pap smear
screening. (However, there are medical risks from not having a Pap smear.)
How is a Pap smear read (analyzed)?
Pap smear analysis and reports are all based on a medical terminology system
called The Bethesda System. The system was developed (at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda,
Maryland) to encourage all medical professionals analyzing Pap smears to use the
same reporting system. Standardization reduces the possibility that different
laboratories might report different results for the same smear. Standardization
and uniform terminology also make Pap smear reports less confusing for the
clinicians who request the tests and for their women patients.
The Bethesda System was the outcome of a National Cancer Institute workshop that was held in
1988 in an effort to standardize Pap reports. The guidelines address many
aspects of Pap smear testing and its results. In 2001, the guidelines were
revised and improved. Acceptance of the Bethesda reporting system in the United
States is virtually universal.
The major categories for abnormal Pap smears reported in the Bethesda Systems are as follows:
- ASC-US: This abbreviation stands for atypical
squamous cells of undetermined significance. Under the old system of
classification, this category was called atypical squamous cells, just ASC.
The new system requires the reader to pick one of two choices to add at the end of
ASC: ASC-US, which means undetermined significance or ASC-H, which means cannot
exclude HSIL-see below.
- LSIL: This abbreviation stands for low-grade
squamous intraepithelial lesion.
Under the old system of classification, this category was called CIN grade
I.
- HSIL: This abbreviation stands for high-grade
squamous intraepithelial lesion. Under the old system of classification, this
category was called CIN grade II, CIN grade III, or CIS.
The word "squamous" describes the thin, flat cells that lie on the surface of
the cervix. "Intraepithelial" indicates that the surface layer of cells is
affected. A "lesion" means that abnormal tissue is present. These important
terms - LSIL and HSIL - are described in greater detail below.
Next: What information is included on a Pap smear report? »
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