Dictionary of Cancer Terms
View in Spanish: Prueba de Papanicolaou
Papanicolaou test (PA-puh-NIH-koh-low)
A procedure in
which cells are scraped from the cervix for examination
under a microscope. It is used to detect cancer and changes
that may lead to cancer. A Papanicolaou test
can also show conditions, such as infection or
inflammation, that are not cancer. Also called Pap smear and Pap test.
Source: National Cancer Institute Dictionary of Cancer Terms, available at www.cancer.gov/dictionary.