Test, Pap

Test, Pap: The examination under the microscope of cells collected from the cervix, smeared on a slide and specially stained to reveal premalignant and malignant changes as well as changes due to noncancerous conditions such as inflammation. The technique was developed by George Papanicolaou (1883-1962), a Greek-born physician and scientist who moved to the U.S. In 1923, while looking at vaginal smears from women with cervical cancer, he saw cancer cells. In 1963, after two decades of research, he reported that cervical and uterine cancer could be detected in their early stages with this test that has since saved innumerable lives.