The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. Cervical cytology is a screening test used for early detection of cervical cancer, nevertheless the procedure is not free of errors, and. Uterine cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women, where more than 80% occur in developing countries. Pap test a stepbystep look at what happens during the test duration. This terminology and the process that created it have had a profound impact on the practice of cervical cytology for laboratorians and clinicians alike. May 2015the value of standardized terminology for reporting cytology and histopathologyhas been essential in our work and important for patient care. The bethesda system for reporting cervical cytology, put forward in 1988 thanks to the pioneering work of diane solomon, md, and robert kurman, md, 1 saw unprecedented adoption around the world. Cervical cancer is known to be preventable because of long period of preinvasive stage, availability of screening tools, and effective treatments for early invasive cervical lesions. Home your department name university of wisconsinmadison.