Modified Pap tests can show early warning signs of other gynecological cancers

The Pap test has already reduced the incidence of cervical cancer by more than 60 percent. Now it may become a key step in the early detection of two other gynecological malignancies - ovarian and endometrial cancers - that have been notorious killers because they're typically caught so late.

A new study has found that by genetically analyzing the harvest of cells from a Pap smear, doctors could identify 81 percent of endometrial cancers and 33 percent of ovarian cancers. Some of those cancers were in their earliest stages, when they're more likely to respond to treatment.