Though regular Pap smear tests should effectively detect signs of cancer, some women may receive a cervical cancer diagnosis even after a normal Pap smear.

Pap smears have been around for decades, and have become extremely useful tools in detecting pre-cancer. Indeed, the death rate from cervical cancer has actually dropped because these tests allow a patient with a potential cervical cancer diagnosis to undergo treatment, stopping the cancer before it can progress.

Basics of Pap Smear Tests

A Pap smear is used to collect cells from the cervix that are then examined for evidence of cancer and changes that may indicate a potential cervical cancer diagnosis in the future. This allows a patient to undergo preventative treatment, which can stop the cancer entirely, saving lives. The American Cancer Society encourages women age 21 to 29 to receive Pap smears every three years, and for women between 30 and 65, every five years.

Pap smears have been a tool used to detect cervical cancer for the last 60 years, and they are extremely effective at this. Now, cervical cancer has become one of the most preventable gynecologic cancers because of the Pap smear’s role in detecting cancer early on. For the most part, people who receive a cervical cancer diagnosis have not had regular Pap tests, the American Cancer Society notes.

These Pap smears have become extremely effective, and yet, some who receive a normal Pap smear test result may later end up with a cervical cancer diagnosis. This may be due to negligence of medical labs that failed to properly use the Pap smear test in the first place.

For instance, a medical lab may have observed the Pap smear test results but failed to actually detect changes that could lead to a cervical cancer diagnosis, even though the early signs of cancer were in fact there.

Missing a cervical cancer diagnosis during a Pap smear may mean that a patient is not diagnosed until the cancer has become far more serious, such as when it has already progressed to Stage 3 or Stage 4, which is much more difficult to treat and much more deadly.

One Florida woman who received a normal Pap test in 2008 later died from cervical cancer in 2011. The Pap smear allegedly showed cancer cells that weren’t identified by the medical lab. The woman’s husband sued he medical lab for negligence and was awarded $15.8 million for wrongful death claims in 2014.

Filing a Missed Cervical Cancer Lawsuit

If you received a cervical cancer diagnosis, or your loved one died from cervical cancer, and you believe a medical lab may have missed early signs of cancer in a Pap smear that could have prevented the cervical cancer diagnosis altogether, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Filing a missed cervical cancer diagnosis lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by cervical cancer, nor can it bring a loved one back to life. But filing a lawsuit can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses, hospital stays, and lost wages.