The cervical cancer or cancer of the uterus neck has a very strong physical and psychological impact on a woman; it irreversibly impairs her lifestyle and sexuality preventing it from becoming a mother and forcing her to undergo very invasive, challenging and painful therapies. There is a test called Pap test (Papanicolaou test) that allows the early diagnosis of carcinoma of the uterine cervix; its purpose is to identify, among women, all women potentially at risk.

To make the Pap test even more effective, today we use modern technologies that help to make the diagnostic validity of the test even more precise.

An even more sensitive method than the Pap test for cervical cancer screening is the Thi -Prep or the thin layer Pap Test.

This test is performed by taking the cells of the cervix, painlessly and with a methodology similar to that of the Pap Test. The difference consists in the fact that the cells taken by the doctor or midwife, are not streaked on the slide, but are suspended in a bottle containing preservative liquid. The bottle is then sent at a later time to the Pathological Anatomy Laboratory where the sample undergoes a treatment that eliminates interfering materials, or cells, bacteria and blood that do not serve for the purpose of the examination. The sample is then transferred onto a glass slide in a monolayer, or thin layer. As it is apparent from screening studies conducted on representative samples of women, this test is considered to be more reliable and accurate than the traditional Pap Test. It is also possible to perform further diagnostic using the same sample of cells.
Both the traditional Pap test anjd the Thin-Prep are means able to diagnose cervical cancer, but are not effective for the diagnosis of cancer of the ovary, endometrium and uterus.

Compared to the traditional Pap Test, the cells are not immediately fixed on the slide, but kept in a special liquid; this to avoid that they are aggregated in a disorderly manner.
With this method, the doctor manages to maintain, unlike the Pap test, all the material taken, then being able to reuse it for any subsequent diagnostic investigations without the need for a new examination.
Once sent to the laboratory, the cells are separated from the interfering material, and then by any blood, mucus or bacteria. The sample, suitably prepared, is then transferred onto the slide free from superimposed layers of material.

Based on a series of researches conducted on a representative sample of women, it emerges that the Thin Prep significantly improves the ability to identify any precancerous cells.

The Pap test, being a prior examination, should be performed regularly. If the result is not negative, the patient will be asked, by letter of invitation, to perform additional testing depth with any prescription of appropriate therapy.

It is important to emphasize that the cervical cancer, if detected early, can be cured effectively. For this reason, the Thin Prep and the Pap test should be performed regularly responding to the invitations.