A 29 year old woman, in otherwise truly perfect health; perfect body mass, great figure, jogging, and so on... a professional dietician, in fact. Her PAP comes back positive for Cervical Cancer. Medically, what should happen next, a biopsy? If so, is this a “surgery,” a difficult or dangerous procedure?

If a pap returns with results showing a possibility of cancerous cells, a colposcopy can be the next step. This is a fairly common procedure and allows the doctor to see the cervix more clearly and perform a biopsy on the cells. It usually is done in the office. While it is similar to a pap smear, it does take a little bit longer and can be uncomfortable. They will discuss with you the procedure, what you can do to be more comfortable, such as taking Advil or a similar pain medication before the procedure, and what to expect afterwards.

Thank you very much.