A screening cervical is positive indicates that the patient had a cervical exfoliative cytology test (TCT), or a human papillomavirus (HPV) test, or both, and one or both tests came back positive. Cervical screening generally refers to cervical exfoliative cytology (TCT) and human papillomavirus (HPV) testing. Cervical exfoliative cytology is a test in which exfoliated cells are collected on the surface of the cervix by means of a brush sampler, and then the morphology of the cells is viewed under a microscope to determine the presence or absence of inflammation, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (IENN), or cervical cancer, with a positive result indicating that IENN may be present. The human papillomavirus (HPV) test is a test to determine if a patient has an HPV infection. Since HPV infection is associated with cervical cancer, a positive result indicates that the patient is at increased risk of developing cervical cancer. If the test reveals a positive cervical screening, follow your doctor’s instructions to improve follow-up testing and treatment.