Treatment for Abnormal Pap Test Results

Your NYU Langone doctor determines whether abnormal Pap test results warrant treatment. This depends on several factors, including your age, if you have a history of abnormal Pap test results, and whether changes to the cervical cells are low grade or high grade, meaning moderate or more severe.

If your test results indicate you have human papillomavirus (HPV), your doctor manages the conditions it can cause, such as genital warts or cervical dysplasia. Your doctor may perform procedures to both test and remove dysplasia. These procedures may include a cone biopsy, in which a cone-shaped wedge of cervical tissue is removed, and a loop electrosurgical excision procedure, or LEEP, in which a wire loop heated by an electrical current is used to remove tissue from the cervix.

Not all HPV infections affecting the genitals require treatment. Most cause no symptoms and disappear on their own within two years.

If changes to cervical cells are low grade, or moderate, your doctor may recommend monitoring with more frequent Pap tests. This helps your doctor to detect any changes in the cells while the infection is still present.

If test results show that you have cervical cancer, your NYU Langone gynecologist can refer you to a gynecologic cancer specialist at Perlmutter Cancer Center who then oversees your treatment.