What is a cervical smear?

  Cervical smears are a current form of cervical disease detection for women. They are used to check for the type of cervical disease and are also useful as an aid in screening for cervical cancer. Also known medically as a Pap smear, a small sample of cells from a woman’s cervix is taken and placed on a slide, which is then analyzed under a microscope for abnormalities.  The cervical smear test is mainly for the detection of cervical exfoliated cells, and according to the detailed test, the specific manifestations of cervical diseases can be clearly understood, and if there are cancer cells, the degree of harm of cancer cells can be observed, so that the correct treatment can be chosen. Therefore, the cervical smear test is of great importance to women. Cervical smear test can also be used to detect cervical cancer at an early stage, thus reducing the mortality rate of cervical cancer. If the sample is taken during menstruation, there is a possibility that the sample may be contaminated by menstrual blood, which may lead to errors in the results.  At this stage, liquid-based cytology, or TCT, is gradually replacing cervical smear because of the limitations and errors of cervical smear, while liquid-based cytology can analyze the types and stages of cervical cells more clearly.