Can cancer cells be found in a pap smear?

Answer 1

A PAP smear looks for cellular abnormalities associated with Cervical cancer. While it may occasionally raise questions that eventually lead to recognizing the presence of HPV, that is not its function or expectation.

Please visit your obsetrician to get an answer. Don't take the chance of getting a wrong answer from ordinary people. Most health questions should be directed to your own physician.

Answer 2

From what I know (I am not a dr but got the virus) it is the HPV test that will show it , not the pap. The pap will only show if you have abnormal cells not the presence of the virus. I tested positive for the hpv test but negative for my pap because my cells were OK in spite of having the virus. My ginecologist told me to do only one test time, so you can test first for the hpv and later get a pap done. Hope it helped.

Answer 3

Herpes can rarely show up on a pap smear, if the actual cervix is having an outbreak at the time of the pap. This finding is distinct from the changes in the cervical cells that a pap smear is meant to detect. If you have an abnormal cellular finding on your pap smear, that's not likely to be due to herpes. Talk with your health care provider to clarify what your particular results mean.

Answer 4

Yes, because you may have had a subclinical infection (unseen).

Answer 5

Yes, a pap smear can find cancer cells. Typically a pap smear looks for precancerous changes that can be treated before cancer occurs.

Answer 6

No, HPV does not always show up on a Pap smear. Pap smears don't detect HPV directly; they are looking for cellular changes caused by HPV.

Answer 7

Yes, a recent result of HPV or cervical abnormalities on the pap smear does not mean that you have a new exposure to HPV. The exposure could have happened decades earlier.