Cervical smears (Pap smears) are taken as part of a screening programme against cervical cancer. A screening test is not a diagnostic test and even the very best cytopathologists (specialists who analyse smears) are only about 60% accurate. However, with repeated tests a woman who has three yearly smears reduces her risk of cervix cancer by over 90%.

Detailed information on the smear test can be found at www.colposcopy.co.uk.