Table 1: What Your Pap Test/HPV Test Results Mean and Follow-Up
| Possible Result | What It Means to You | What Your Health Care Provider May Recommend | Possible Outcomes |
| Normal | Only normal cells were seen on the Pap test. | Continue to get Pap tests at least once every 3 years. | A False Negative (Looks Normal, But May Not Be) The Pap test is a very good screening test, but it is not perfect. A single Pap test may miss up to 20 percent of abnormalities. Changes that are missed once are usually found the next time. This is why it is important to get a Pap test at least once every 3 years. |
ASC-US | ASC-US (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance)
|
| Abnormal Pap Test Result Positive HPV Test Result Negative HPV Test Result Abnormal Colposcopy Result |
ASC-H AGC | ASC-H (atypical squamous cells, cannot exclude HSIL)
AGC (atypical glandular cells)
|
| Normal Colposcopy Result Abnormal Colposcopy Result |
| LSIL | LSIL (low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion)
|
| Normal Colposcopy Result Abnormal Colposcopy Result |
| Precancer HSIL AIS | If you have one of the results below, it is very important that you get the necessary tests and treatments. HSIL (high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion)
AIS (adenocarcinoma in situ)
|
| Normal Colposcopy Result Abnormal Colposcopy Result |
| Cancer | Cancer cells are present in the cervix. |
Your health care provider will probably refer you to a gynecologic oncologist. | Abnormal Colposcopy Result |
In some cases, follow-up treatment may be different for women who are younger than age 21 or pregnant. |
This table is based on the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) consensus guidelines.
For more information on cells of the cervix, see the What is the Cervix 1 in this booklet.
Glossary TermsLSILA condition in which the cells of the uterine cervix are slightly abnormal. LSIL is not cancer. Also called low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. |
Table of Links | |
| 1 | http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understandingcervicalchanges/page2 |
