Pap Test (팹 테스트)

A Pap test checks for changes in the cells of a woman's cervix. The cervix is the lower part of the uterus, where the uterus opens to the vagina. The test is important because it can find cancer cells or cells that may turn cancerous.

 

팹 테스트를 수행하기 위해서 의사 혹은 간호사는 검경이라고 불리는 도구를 질내에 넣어 자궁을 보고 자궁의 내측이나 바깥쪽의 세포들을 샘플로 채취한다. 만족스런 샘플을 얻기 위해서는 테스트를 하기 이틀전부터 질세척이라던가 탐폰 등 어떤 것도 넣지 않는게 중요하다. 수집된 자궁경부세포는 유리 슬라이드 위에 도말하고 현미경으로 비정상을 검사한다.

 

Women should have a Pap test every 3 years at a minimum once they become sexually active or when they turn 21. However, a woman should speak with her health care professional to determine how often she should have the test based on her age, the results of previous Pap tests, her medical history, whether she has human papillomavirus (HPV), and whether she smokes. Women can stop having the tests at age 70 if the results of their Pap tests in the past 10 years have been normal, according to the US Department of Heath and Human Services.

 

HPV 감염은 자궁경부암의 주된 원인이며 그것은 자주 비정상적인 팹테스트의 원인이 된다. 그러나 HPV 에 감염된 대부분의 여성들은 정상적인 팹테스트 결과를 얻는다. 오직 매우 적은 퍼센티지의 치료되지 못한 HPV를 갖고 있는 여성들만이 자궁경부암으로 발전된다.

 

A woman who has an abnormal Pap test result may need further testing, such as colposcopy or biopsy. Colposcopy allows a doctor to look at the cervix through a device that is similar to a microscope. If he or she sees abnormal cells, a cervical biopsy may be needed.

 

 

The Greek-born physician George Papanicolaou (1883-1962) invented the Pap test, named for him, in 1928.

 

The test was first proven to be diagnostic of cervical cancer in 1943 but was not incorporated into routine gynecologic practice until the 1950s.

 

After the Pap test came into use, cancer of the cervix stopped being the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancer. The test's ability to detect precancerous changes and allow for early treatment has helped make the treatment of cervical cancer a model for cancer care.