A pap smear (or pap test) is a screening for cervical cancer. It involves taking cells from the cervix and vagina and examining them under a microscope. The test is looking for cervical ...

When cervical cancer is found early, there’s a far greater likelihood that it can be treated successfully. It’s recommended to start having Pap smear screening at age 21. While breast cancer is ...

Each year, about 14,000 new cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the U.S., but thanks to Pap smears, deaths from the disease have dropped significantly over the past few decades. The test, which ...