No woman I have ever met looks forward to getting a Pap smear, the standard test for cervical cancer. Asked whether they would rather see a dentist about a cavity, or a gynaecologist for a Pap smear, friends say they cannot decide which is less comfortable.

The Pap smear was developed by Dr Georgios Papanicolaou and first reported in 1928. It involves a gynaecologist taking a sample of cells from the surface of the cervix during an internal exam.

Since its introduction, the Pap smear has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. That is because the sample reveals cellular changes that could indicate if a woman is in the early stages of cervical cancer.

At the beginning of the 20th century, cervical cancer killed an estimated 24 to 37 out of every 100,000 women; in Hong Kong, that number has fallen to about four. Thanks largely to the Pap smear, the incidence of cervical cancer has decreased by a huge margin.