Cancerul de col uterin - epidemiologie, screening şi tratament
Cervical cancer - epidemiology, screening and treatment

B. A. Riga

Abstract: Most women are diagnosed with HPV on the basis of abnormal Pap smears. Pap smears are the primary screening tool for cervical cancer or pre-cancerous conditions, many of which are cell changes related to HPV. Current HPV tests are fairly sophisticated and expensive and are commercially available for women with an abnormal Pap smear. They cannot identify which HPV infections will lead to cervical cancer or pre-cancerous conditions. Research is underway to determine the role of HPV tests for cervical cancer screening. Women with genital warts also should be examined for possible HPV infection of the cervix. It is easy to identify some other invisible warts in the genital tissue using acetic acid in the areas of suspected infection. This solution causes infected areas to whiten, which makes them more visible, particularly if a colposcopy is performed. A Pap smear test also may indicate the possible presence of cervical HPV infection. In a Pap smear, a laboratory worker examines cells scraped from the cervix under a microscope to see if they are cancerous. If a woman’s Pap smear is abnormal, she might have an HPV infection. If a woman has an abnormal Pap smear, she should have her doctor examine her further to look for and treat any cervical problems.
Keywords: cervical cancer, pap smear, HPV.