The best way to find cervical cancer early is to have regular screening tests. Regular screening has been shown to prevent cervical cancers and save lives. Early detection greatly improves the chances of successful treatment and can prevent any early cervical cell changes from becoming cancer. Being alert to any signs and symptoms of cervical cancer can also help avoid unnecessary delays in diagnosis.
The tests for cervical cancer screening are the HPV test and the Pap test. These tests can be done alone or at the same time (called a co-test) and are done during a pelvic exam.
The most important thing to remember is to get screened regularly, no matter which test you get.
Doctors can now test for the HPV (high-risk or carcinogenic types) that are most likely to cause cervical cancer by looking for pieces of their DNA in cervical cells. The test can be done by itself or at the same time as the Pap test, with the same swab or a second swab.
The Pap test is a procedure used to collect cells from the cervix so that they can be looked at in the lab to find cancer and pre-cancer.
The first step in finding cervical cancer is often an abnormal HPV or Pap test result. This will lead to further tests, which can diagnose cervical cancer.
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Last Revised: January 13, 2023
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