Pap Test Misdiagnosis and Failure to Diagnose

Damages May be Awarded if Failure to Detect Cervical Cancers Leads to Delayed Treatment

The Papanicolaou test, commonly known as a Pap test, has been used for decades by gynecologists to sample the interior surface of the uterine cervix. Most adult women are familiar with this sampling procedure used to detect changes in the uterine cervix which are precancerous, called dysplasia, or cancerous. The sooner such a condition is diagnosed, the sooner treatment is given, and the condition can be arrested or cured. Unfortunately, the laboratories who examine the cell samples under a microscope sometimes fail to detect or appreciate clearly abnormal cells or cell groups existing on the Pap slide.

If you or a loved one or a friend have been diagnosed with cancer of the cervix, and you had frequent or regular interval Pap tests that were called normal or negative, those Pap slides may have been poorly or improperly screened. Cervical cancer is not expected among those who have had regular interval Pap tests. It does not usually occur within a short period of time such as months or a year. When a woman has Pap tests done every year or every other year, and the samples are adequate, proper screening should detect precancerous changes at an early stage. If the lab reported your test as negative when the sample contained abnormal cells requiring an investigation with a scope or biopsy, then the lab has caused a delay in diagnosis and treatment, which could render it liable to you for damages.

There are different kinds of cervical cancers. They include a squamous cell carcinoma which results from changes in the squamous epithelium of the area immediately upon entry into the cervix.  Another form is adenocarcinoma resulting from changes in glandular cells that are farther into the cervical canal. Though a Pap sample may have an abundant number of cells, sometimes abnormal glandular cells are so deep into the cervix that they are not harvested when the sample is taken. However, successive years of Pap samples usually result in those abnormal cells being harvested on at least one or more occasions.

Cytotechnologists screen the slides under a microscope. They are required to report cells and groups of cells that appear abnormal, i.e. they have the characteristic appearance under a microscope that is consistent with dysplasia. Those slides are required to be reviewed by a pathologist. There are times when a cytotechnologist will not view the abnormal cells or, if they view them, not appreciate their suspicious appearance. If so, when the samples are reported as normal and another year or more passes before another Pap sample is taken, the opportunity to diagnose the cervical condition and treat it early before it invades the cervical wall or metastasizes is delayed.

If a lab determines that there are abnormal cells and so reports them, the gynecologist will and should follow established guidelines to either repeat the Pap in a few months or perform a colposcopy and biopsy.

Our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania cancer misdiagnosis law firm has pursued many cases involving cancer that developed after Pap specimens were misinterpreted. If you or a member of your family or a friend was diagnosed with cervical cancer even though they had recent Pap tests, then contact our Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania cancer misdiagnosis lawyers today by calling our office at (866)826-4949.