Pap Smear

• Conducted by a female medical staff

A pap smear is used for screening cervical cancer. This procedure involves collecting cells from your cervix, by using a brush or spatula-like instrument to look for changes in the cervix’s cells.

A pap smear can detect abnormal changes and precancerous cells in your cervical cells, which can help prevent cancer development.

Cervical cancer starts in the cervix, which is the lower part of womb. It is an invasive tumour affecting the cervix. ‘Invasive’ means that cancer cells can spread from the surface of cervix into the deeper tissues, which in turn may spread to adjacent structures (e.g. vagina, nerve, pelvis and kidney). If not detected early, they will finally spread to distant organs such as liver, lung and brain.

Cervical cancer is by far the most common cancer associated with persistent HPV infection. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer can be attributable to persistent HPV infection.

Cervical cancer is preceded by the development of abnormal cells in the cervix. If left untreated, these pre-cancerous cells may change and become cervical cancer over five to ten years. Women with pre-cancerous lesions do not have symptoms. Cervical screening aims to prevent cervical cancer by detecting and treating these abnormalities. Treatment of pre-cancerous lesions has a cure rate that is close to 100%.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women, there were over 600,000 new cases of cervical cancer in 2020; almost all cervical cancer cases (99%) are related to HPV infection, such as type 16 and 18.

In 2018, there were around 582 new cases and 163 deaths from cervical cancer in Hong Kong. (Hospital Authority).

For HPV DNA Genotyping and pap smear package, please click here. 

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