"Pap tests (or Pap smears) look
for cancers and precancers.
Precancers are cell changes
that can be caused by the
human papillomavirus (HPV).
If not treated, these abnormal
cells could lead to cancer." -Dolly Penn, M.D., M.S.C.R., Medical Officer, Healthcare Assessment Research Branch, Healthcare Delivery Research Program,
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute; and Abbey B. Berenson, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health, Professor of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch