One of medicine’s great prevention success stories, and it runs on two tests this lab performs: the Pap smear and HPV testing.
What happened
In the 1940s, Dr George Papanicolaou introduced the “Pap smear”, a simple cytology test that spots abnormal cervical cells before they turn into cancer. Decades later, Prof. Harald zur Hausen showed that persistent infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV), especially types 16 and 18, causes almost all cervical cancer, work recognised with the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Why it mattered
Wherever Pap screening was widely adopted, deaths from cervical cancer fell dramatically. Adding HPV testing, which detects the virus that drives the disease, often before any cell changes appear, makes screening even more sensitive. Together with HPV vaccination, the World Health Organization now treats cervical cancer as a cancer the world can work to eliminate.
Key points
- Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by persistent high-risk HPV infection
- The Pap (cytology) test detects pre-cancerous cell changes early, when they are treatable
- HPV testing identifies the high-risk virus, sometimes before cell changes are visible
- Liquid-based cytology (LBC) allows cytology and HPV testing from a single sample
How this connects to our testing
This lab performs both halves of this story, the Fluid Cytology / LBC Pap smear and HPV (molecular) testing. See the Test List, or contact the lab to discuss sample requirements. Pricing is shared on enquiry.
Sources
Papanicolaou GN: development of the “Pap” cervical cytology test (1940s). · zur Hausen H: human papillomavirus as the cause of cervical cancer; Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2008. · World Health Organization: Global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer. See also our explainer on the WHO Classification of Tumours.