Pap smear screening is an essential preventative measure that helps diagnose cervical cancer, and though it is generally reliable and certainly important, it is not an infallible process. Some patients have experienced missed diagnoses or even false-negative Pap smear screening, which can mean that their cancer isn’t diagnosed until it’s too late for treatment to be as effective as it could be.

The Importance of Pap Smear Screening

A Pap smear screening can be essential to catching cancer in its early and more treatable stages. A Michigan woman, Sandy L., began experiencing inexplicable bleeding and back pain in the summer of 2015. Her family doctor recommended undergoing a Pap smear screening, but Sandy was too nervous to go through with it, and delayed. “Like many of us do, I just waited and put it off,” Sandy said to ClickOnDetroit. “In 2015, I wasn’t even due for my exam yet so I figured I had a little bit more time.”

But waiting to get a Pap smear screening cost her. After these symptoms continued for months, she felt something was deeply wrong, and Sandy finally scheduled a Pap smear screening in Jan. 2017. However, in February when her doctor’s office called with bad news: she found out she had tested positive for HPV, and the doctor believed that Sandy had cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is closely linked with HPV, or the human papillomavirus, the most common STI in the United States. In fact, HPV affects up to 80 percent of sexually active people, making it quite common. However, HPV can be fought off by the immune system. For some, however, HPV can lead to cervical cancer.

To fight off the cancer, Sandy has undergone eight rounds of chemotherapy, and dozens more of radiation. Fortunately, Sandy is currently living cancer-free.

The Pap smear screening was an essential part of Sandy’s recovery. Undergoing that Pap smear screening in 2017 led to a quick diagnosis, allowing for chemotherapy in the early stages of the cervical cancer. However, delaying any longer could have been a serious problem, if the cancer had spread too far.

Basics of Pap Smear Screening

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

A Pap smear screening collects cells from the cervix, which are 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.

Cervical cancer has become one of the most preventable gynecologic cancers because of the role of Pap smear screening in detecting cancer early on.

Missed Diagnoses and False Negatives

Despite the definite importance of Pap smear screening, these tests are certainly not infallible. In some cases, a Pap smear screening may be diagnosed incorrectly, or even show a false negative. In these instances, even someone who tested safely during a Pap smear screening may later end up with a cervical cancer diagnosis.

In some cases, this may be due to negligence of medical labs that failed to properly diagnose the Pap smear screening in the first place. For instance, a medical lab may have observed the Pap smear test results but failed to actually detect cancer cells and reach a cervical cancer diagnosis, even though the cancer was in fact there. This delay can mean that the cancer is only diagnosed when it has become far more serious, meaning that it is also much more difficult to treat.

Filing a Pap Smear Screening Lawsuit

If you believe that your cancer was not caught due to a defective or misdiagnosed Pap smear screening, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Filing a Pap smear screening lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by cervical cancer or bring a loved one back to life, but it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses, hospital stays, and lost wages.