Cervical Dysplasia

The pap smear is responsible for decreasing the incidence of and mortality rates from cervical cancer. The Papanicolaou (Pap) smear is a collection of cells from the squamocolumnar junction of the cervix where the columnar epithelium is juxtaposed to the smooth squamous epithelium. In this area, squamous metaplasia is causing squamous cells to replace columnar cells. This cell growth and change can allow the entrance of human papillomavirus (HPV), the cause of more than 90% of cervical cancer. The Pap smear is a sample of cells from this area to screen a patient for abnormalities such as cervical dysplasia.