Abstract
Background: Cancer cervix is the leading cancer among females of India. Papanicolaou cytological (Pap) test is use for detecting the early epithelial abnormalities in cervical cells. Aim - Papanicolaou (Pap) test screening in a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India Material and Methods: Pap smears (n=800) from January to June 2015 were evaluated by using light microscopy. For evaluating the pap smears 2001 Bethesda system for reporting cervical cytology was used in. Results: Their mean age was 45.3 ± 4.6 years. Epithelial cell abnormality was noted in the Pap smear in 49 (5.67%) cases. Conclusion: Pap test provides supportive evidence as a tool for screening for cervical cancer. There is a need to increase the awareness among public regarding the utility of this test so that more women will avail this test and precancerous changes in cervix can be detected before they progress to frank malignancy.