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The Papanicolaou Smear

Council on Scientific Affairs

JAMA. 1989;262(12):1672-1679.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

DIAGNOSTIC cytology was developed in the 1930s and 1940s by Dr George Papanicolaou.^1,2 His early work in reproductive physiology in animals was extended to that of the human female in whom hormonal status was determined by observing cytological changes in the vaginal smear. After many years of examining normal human exfoliative cytological specimens, Papanicolaou applied the technique to the study of pathological conditions. This effort culminated in the publication of a monograph Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer by the Vaginal Smear in 1943.³

Interpretation of cells removed from the female genital tract and stained by the Papanicolaou method has resulted in the earlier diagnosis of carcinoma of the uterine cervix and its precursor lesions. The Papanicolaou (Pap) smear may also detect specific infections of the lower genital tract and malignancies at other sites in the genital tract, but its primary role has been in screening for cervical neoplasms.

Gynecologic . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association, Chicago, III.

Footnotes
Resolution 92(1987 Interim Meeting, adopted) calls on the American Medical Association to evaluate quality control of the Papanicolaou smear and to review accreditation of laboratories that interpret these smears. This area is currently one of intense interest among the general public and members of Congress. The Council on Scientific Affairs formed an expert advisory group to address the issues of collection and processing of the Papanicolaou smear, quality assurance of the cytology laboratory, and accreditation of cytology laboratories

Reprint requests to Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association, 535 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60610 (William R. Hendee, PhD).

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