Cervical cancer prevention: better tests, better tools, and more equitable outcomes.

摘要

In 1941, Dr George Papanicolaou and Dr Herbert Traut published a landmark study concerning a new diagnostic test for the early detection of cervical cancer (1). This test became commonly known as the "Pap smear." This screening test was responsible for a remarkable decrease in cervical cancer mortality in well-screened populations, with an approximately 80% decrease in the United States in the second half of the 20th century. Despite its value as a cancer prevention tool, the Pap smear has several well-known shortcomings. Cytological screening for cervical dysplasia and cancer requires infrastructure and training for the collection and interpretation of samples.