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Pre-cancerous Gynecologic Conditions

Cells that appear abnormal under a microscope are not cancerous themselves, but can precede the development of cancer are referred to as pre-cancerous.

Gynecologic pre-cancerous conditions:

From the Gynecologic Oncology website:
• Cervical Dysplasia
• Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (SIL)
• Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia (VAIN)


From the UofMHealth.org Health Library:
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
• Atypical Squamous Cells (ASC) of the Cervix


From PubMed Health:
• Condyloma (aka Genital Warts)

Detection of gynecologic pre-cancerous conditions

One of the most common and trustworthy tests used to detect precancerous and cancerous gynecologic conditions is the Pap Test. By detecting these pre-cancerous conditions early it's unlikely they will become cancerous.

If you have had an abnormal pap test

First, talk to your healthcare provider. Sometimes, their recommendation will be to wait a period of time and have another Pap test before taking any other action. If the recommendation is to seek some form of treatment:

Those with abnormal Pap smears, vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia, carcinoma in situ, condyloma (genital warts) or human papilloma virus (HPV):

Please visit our Colposcopy Clinic's webpage.

Those with cervical dysplasia - also known as cervix intraepithelial neoplasia or CIN - or Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (SIL):

Please visit our Multidiscipinary Gynecologic Oncology Clinic's webpage.

Still have questions?

The nurses at Cancer AnswerLine™ have answers. Call 1-800-865-1125 and you'll get a personal response from one of our registered nurses, who have years of experience in caring for people with cancer.