Smear test results - anyone had a 'severely abnormal' result?

[ShesAWaterfall]

My sister has just found out her smear result was 'severely abnormal'. I think she said it was 'Carcinoma' something. Not cancerous but very close to it. I don't know how to help, or what to say. does anyone else have experience of this? any ideas about how it may affect her fertility in the future?

Did she say 'carcinoma' or did she say CIN (and a number?)

just be there .. ask her waht the next steps are .. ask her if she wants company / childcare?

I've had CIN II, then a colposcopy (big microscope checking) then a loop diathermy (burn away bad cells) under GA .. no effect on fertility

yes, CIN 3. so pretty serious. good to hear that your fertility wasn't affected. she doesn't have kids yet, but really wants them so fingers crossed.

Snap - except I had CIN III - but same treatment as Twig and I've gone on to have two children. It sounds like your sister needs to ask more questions - perhaps you could go with her as it's hard to take it all in, you hear "severely abnormal" and go into a blind panic. But even CIN III, which I had, and which is the "worst" level - only menas it may become cancer in several years' time - not that it is cancer. And the prognosis is excellent when it's caught early enough. Touch wood, my smear tests have been normal for several years now.

Hi, No experience, but it doesn't sound very reassuring. Look up carcinoma, it means cancer in skin tissue.
Be with her and get second opinion/full explanation of further testing NOW.
Don't panic just yet, but do get it checked further without any delay.
take care

I have heard about this condition, they can use a laser to get rid of abnormal cells. it does not neccesarily mean anything else will develop. just make sure your sister gets treatment, should not affect fertility. ask gp to refer you to a specialist in your area and it will all be checked out and right course of action taken. hope this helps a bit.

i think that's right about the blind panic, marthamoo. hearing that others have been able to have kids after having the same thing will really reassure her, i'm sure.

CIN III is just the worst level of the CINs which mean that the cells are beginning to change and possibly just maybe in about a decade or two she might have pre-cancerous cells

1 in 11 smear test results is abnormal

I think panic and scare-mongering around medical cancerous terminology is the worst thing you can do

she needs to breathe and realise that it is not unusual to get a bad result but the point of the smear is to catch it now

when is her colposcopy?

she's had part of her cervix removed already, and sent for further testing, not sure if that's the same thing as colposcopy?

My mum is currently undergoing treatment for CNN III. She Has had 3 colposcopy sessions and one Loop excision. But she is in her 60's and had not been for a smear in something like 15 years (don't get me started on that one). She is due for another appointment on Wednesday, so will see what is said then. Over all staff were pretty upbeat about it, and said that if she was younger she would have still been ok to have children. fingers crossed for your sister.

that's a biopsy Waterfalls they're checking it isn't deeper than they though

thought

I hope you get good news soon.
I hate this accusation of scaremongering. I just know from experience that with cancerous cells, the soonner you admit to a cat being a cat, the better the chances of recovery.
Wish you all the best for your family.

Sheesh who has rattled your cage Slim? Nobody said YOU were scaremongering and this isn't about you but about someone else's worries

CIN diagnosis is NOT a cancer diagnosis though and calling a domestic cat a man-eating lion is hardly helpful

Hi Shesawaterfall

With Twigortreat on this - I had CIN III. Had the coloscopy and loop diathermy in March 2003 when I was 27 and have just had to go back for a smear once a year since to check all is well. It is and I go back to smears every three years after next March.

The doctor assured me it has no affect on fertility (one baby later, I agree with him!)

It's worrying for your sister of course, but -as previous posters have pointed out - the cells have just changed slightly and could beoms cancerous in a few years. They've caught it and will sort it out. All the best to her.

i'm wiith twigor - Slim, if you dont have any experience of this, its best to keep your mouth shut . Of course the OPs sister is getting prompt treatment and its not worth scaring people over terminology that you dont understand yourself.

Shesawaterfall, it sounds like your sister has had a loopdiathermy cone biopsy at the time of her colposcopy (a long name for a giant pair of binoculars!). I was CIN 3 which is non-cancerous, i did however have a very small region of cancerous cells which were excised completely. i have since had a baby and was told not to expect any problems, and there have been none. I know so many women who have had this and ive been known to be really blase with friends and say to friends with abnormal smears, whats the big deal, that is why we have smears so we dont have to worry about it because we get it sorted early.

There are some really serious positives here, your sister is young and fit, she has had the affected tissue removed and the biopsy is to check that everything has been removed, they do this by checking that there is healthy tissue around it, its routine. There will be NO effect on her fertility whatsoever. Your sister will now be offered yearly smears for the next five years which is great if you ask me, and if she is a pushy cow like me she can push for yearly smears thereafter so that puts her in a better position than most. My doctor who has just retired said to me, he has never known anyone have problems returning after treatment, in all his years of practise. Assuming your sister has regular smears then anything there will be minute. They will probably want to give her another colposcopy in six months time as well.

Was she diagnosed with 'carcinoma in situ'? If so, that is the very earliest stage (stage 0) of 'proper' cancer and somewhat more serious than CIN3 - see here for staging info. (If she was diagnosed only with CIN3 that's not cancer)

If she's had tissue removed that may have been a biopsy to determine what further treatment she needs, or it may have been a laser procedure that will probably be enough treatment. She is unlikely to have fertility issues in the future after LEEP if that's what she had, but will need close follow up.

I had stage 1 cancer of the cervix and subsequently carried an 8lb baby to term (after a large cone biopsy), so it doesn't have to be a disaster for her fertility!

I was diagnosed with CIN III, had the LEEP (loop excision) operation, went on to conceive within a year and carry a huge baby to term. Really, don't worry about fertility.

In my colposcopy, doctor clipped off several nail-tip sixed pieces from the cervix for a biopsy. This is probably what they did to your sister. If CIN III diagnosis is confirmed, your sister needs to have a LEEP.

LEEP does not "burn away bad cells" but cuts away a piece from the cervix that resembles a cone, with a thin hot wire. That is why it is also called "conisation".

Make sure your sister has the LEEP or cold knife surgery, both of which cut out the affected area of the cervix so that it can later be examined, determining whether or not the whole dysplasia has been taken out. If you opt for burning the area with laser or cold treatment, then you can never be sure if the whole dysplasia has been excised.

There is one more issue your sister should probably consider: cervical dysplasia is caused by a virus called HPV. A large percentage of human population carries it, but it does not cause cancer in everyone. However, this means that her partner also has HPV and can give it back to her. His penis also needs to be treated/cleansed of HPV. This is apparently not common practice in UK, but quite important.

Sorry for the very long post, but just thought you would like to have as much information as possible on the subject. Good luck xxx