Pap test
/ˈpap ˌtɛst
/noun
North American term for smear test.Although pelvic examinations can screen for reproductive problems or abnormalities, only a Pap test will detect early cervical cancer or precancers....
- Post-hysterectomy Pap tests may detect vaginal cancer, but the yield and predictive value are low, and the test was never designed for this purpose.
- Combined Pap test and HPV testing detected all cases of high-grade CIN, but our results did not reach statistical significance.
Origin
1960s: from a shortening of the name of the anatomist George Nicholas Papanicolaou, who devised the technique, + test1.