A growing number of patients are complaining that they have been diagnosed with cervical cancer even after getting a negative pap smear.

Indeed, some women who say they have gotten regular pap smears for years—a test meant to detect cervical cancer—are reportedly being diagnosed with cervical cancer, sometimes in the later and more dangerous stages.

Karla Van Kessel, a London resident who had undergone regular pap testing for two decades, was diagnosed with late stage cervical cancer in 2018. “It was shocking,” she told CBC News.

The mother of two young children says that the diagnosis came after she had been suffering from a number of symptoms associated with cervical cancer, like pelvic pain and intermittent bleeding. “I did discover midway through my treatment last year that my pap test actually did have some indications that I needed to be referred for a biopsy,” she told CBC News. “But my GP interpreted it to be no big deal, despite me saying over and over all of my symptoms.”

Though pap smear tests have vastly improved our ability to detect cervical cancer early, they are far from infallible. One of the main issues? Doctors may miss the signs of cervical cancer that are actually present in the pap test results. In some countries, pap smears and HPV tests are done concurrently to make screening more effective.

Karla is far from the only person with a similar story. CBC News reports that in a study of 38 cervical cancer patients under the age of 50 who were treated at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), 13 of the 38 patients had received a negative pap smear in the two years preceding their diagnosis with cervical cancer.

Pap Smear Screening

In order to detect cervical cancer early on, people at risk (anyone with a cervix, a portion of the uterus) are encouraged to be regularly tested by undergoing pap smear screening. According to the American Cancer Society, women between 21 and 29 should receive pap smears every three years. Between age 30 and 65, the ACA recommends testing every five years.

According to the Mayo Clinic, cells are collected from a patient’s cervix during a pap smear. Then they are examined for abnormalities that indicate the possibility of a future diagnosis with cervical cancer. Catching signs of cervical cancer early allows a patient to undergo preventative treatment, which can save lives.

Pap smear tests are considered very effective, and has made cervical cancer one of the most preventable of gynecologic cancers. But this doesn’t mean that pap smears are perfect. Indeed, negligence of medical labs may mean a missed or delayed diagnosis, which can in turn lead to diagnosis only when the cancer has reached its later and less treatable stages.

Filing a Missed Cervical Cancer Diagnosis Lawsuit

Were you or someone you love diagnosed with cervical cancer after receiving a negative pap smear? This may be the result of a medical lab’s failure to recognize signs of cervical cancer in the test results, and you may be able to file a lawsuit. Of course, a lawsuit cannot undo the pain and suffering caused by cervical cancer, nor can it bring a loved one back to life, but it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses, hospital stays, lost wages, and more.