Georgios Papanikolaou

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For other uses, see George Papanicolaou (disambiguation) and Papanikolaou.

Georgios Papanikolaou
Pap smear
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1910)​
Awards
New York Hospital

Georgios Nikolaou Papanikolaou (or George Papanicolaou

Pap smear
".

After studying medicine in Greece and Germany, he emigrated in 1913 to the United States and was faculty at

Cornell Medical College. He first reported that uterine cancer cells could be detected in vaginal smears in 1928, but his work was not widely recognized until the 1940s. An extensive trial of his techniques was carried out in the early 1950s. In 1961, he was invited to the University of Miami
to lead and develop the Papanicolaou Cancer Research Institute there.

Life and career

Papanikolaou's house in Kymi

Born in

Cornell Medical College of Cornell University.[7]

Papanikolaou was also inspired by the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche, Arthur Schopenhauer and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,[8][9] writing papers on philosophical matters for an Athenian literary quarterly.[8] Nietzsche's philosophical thought was particularly crucial in shaping his character.[9]

The importance of his work was not recognized until the publication, together with Herbert F. Traut (1894–1963), of Diagnosis of Uterine Cancer by the Vaginal Smear in 1943. The book discusses the preparation of vaginal and cervical smears, physiologic cytologic changes during the

Pap smear or Pap test, which is used worldwide for the detection and prevention of cervical cancer and other cytologic diseases of the female reproductive system
.

In 1961, he moved to Miami, Florida, to develop the Papanicolaou Cancer Research Institute[10][11][12] at the University of Miami, but died there on 19 February 1962[13][14] due to a myocardial infarction.[15] His wife Andromachi "Mary" Papanikolaou continued his work at the Papanicolaou Cancer Research Institute after his death, and died in Miami in October 1982.

Discoveries

Pap test abnormal.

In 1914, Papanikolaou and his wife worked at the Department of Anatomy at the

ovarian hormone.[17]

Papanikolaou then began examining the human reproductive system. His wife Mary, was a crucial partner in this research. She was working in the same laboratory as an unpaid laboratory technician. Every day Mary provided a vaginal sample for the research. She also prepared her own samples in the laboratory for further analysis. She provided daily samples for twenty-one years, eventually encouraging her friends to also provide samples for the research.[18]

In 1920, Georgios Papanikolaou realized that he could tell the difference between normal and malignant cells on the cervix by viewing smears on a slide under a microscope.

vaginal fluid, Papanikolaou discovered that abnormal cancer cells could be plainly observed under a microscope. "The first observation of cancer cells in the smear of the uterine cervix," he later wrote, "gave me one of the greatest thrills I ever experienced during my scientific career."[19]

In 1928, Papanikolaou told an incredulous audience of physicians about the noninvasive technique of gathering cellular debris from the lining of the vaginal tract and smearing it on a glass slide for microscopic examination as a way to identify cervical cancer. That year, he had undertaken a study of vaginal fluid in women, in hopes of observing cellular changes over the course of a menstrual cycle. In female guinea pigs, Papanicolaou had already noticed cell transformation and wanted to corroborate the phenomenon in human females. It happened that one of Papanikolaou's human subjects was suffering from uterine cancer.

At a 1928 medical conference in Battle Creek, Michigan, Papanikolaou introduced his low-cost, easily performed screening test for early detection of cancerous and precancerous cells. However, this potential medical breakthrough was initially met with skepticism and resistance from the medical community. Papanicolaou's next communication on the subject did not appear until 1941 when, with gynecologist Herbert Traut, he published a paper on the diagnostic value of vaginal smears in carcinoma of the uterus.[20] This was followed two years later by an illustrated monograph based on a study of over 3,000 cases. In 1954, he published another memorable work, the Atlas of Exfoliative Cytology, thus creating the foundation of the modern medical specialty of cytopathology.[21] The complete works of Papanicolaou as the founder of exfoliative cytology include 5 books and 158 original articles, all of which are summarised in his monographs.[9][22]

Controversy

The Romanian physician

vaginal smears was substantially different from Papanicolaou's and would never have lent itself to mass screening for cervical cancer without modification.[28]

Recent scientific papers have analyzed the ways that Babeș's method differed from Papanikolaou's and note that the paternity of the Pap test belongs solely to Papanicolaou.[29][30][31]

Although a few scholars believe that Babeș was the "true" pioneer in the cytologic diagnosis of cervical cancer,[23] Papanikolaou is still widely considered the pioneer in the field by mainstream scholarship.[25][32][33] In Romania, cervical testing is referred to as the Méthode Babeș-Papanicolaou in honor of both scientists.[34]

Awards and honors

Papanikolaou was nominated for a

Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research (the American equivalent to the Nobel Prize in Physiology[8]), which he received in 1950.[36] In total, he received hundreds of honorary awards.[37]

These include honorary awards by the

University of Athens named Papanikolaou an honorary doctorate, while the Academy of Athens in November 1957 proclaimed him an honorary member. In 1962, he was also posthumously given an award by the United Nations, after being nominated by the World Health Organization.[9][21][38]

Commemorations

In 1958, "The Papanicolaou Award", the highest award given by the American Society of Cytopathology, was established in honor of Papanikolaou and awarded annually since.[39]

In 1978, Papanikolaou's work was honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a 13-cent stamp for early cancer detection.[16]

Between 1995 and 2001, his portrait appeared on the obverse of the Greek ₯10,000 banknote, until its replacement by the euro.[40]

In 2011, A Man of Science, a statue portraying Papanicolaou was permanently installed in

Weill Cornell Medical College's main lobby at 1300 York Avenue in New York City
.

On 13 May 2019, the 136th anniversary of his birth, a Google Doodle featuring Papanikolaou was shown in North America, parts of South America, and parts of Europe and Israel.[41] He and his wife Andromachi's efforts in the fight against cervical cancer, along with that of Helen Octavia Dickens and Hashime Murayama, are featured in the documentary film The Cancer Detectives which first aired on American Experience on March 26, 2024.[42]

References

  1. ^ "George Nicholas Papanicolaou 1883-1962". www.healio.com. 25 February 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  2. ISSN 0007-5027
    .
  3. PMID 9491881
    .
  4. PMID 31051722
    . Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. ^ Crazedturkey (8 August 2012). "Medical History: Mrs. Papanicolaou". Medical History. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  6. ^ Marketos Spyros "Georgios Papanikolaou, History of Medicine of the 20th Century, Greek Pioneers". Zeta Publishers, Athens 2000
  7. ISBN 978-981-4355-08-7
    .
  8. ^ a b c Tzavella, Foteini & Tolis, Georgios. (2015). From Hippocrates to George N. Papanicolaou: A medical journey in time. Archives of Hellenic Medicine. 32. 789-793.
  9. ^ a b c d e "Βιογραφικό του Γεωργίου Παπανικολάου". Γενικό Νοσοκομείο Θεσσαλονίκης "Γ. Παπανικολάου" (in Greek). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  10. ^ "The Pap Corps' History".
  11. ^ "Director's report". Worldcat.org. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  12. ^ "Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center". umiamihealth.org.
  13. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  15. PMID 26512152
    .
  16. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4408-6098-0
    .
  17. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4613-2157-6
    .
  18. ^ "Every day for 21 years, Mary got a vaginal test. Her 'generosity' helped save 'millions of lives'". ABC News. 7 July 2023.
  19. ^
    ISBN 978-1-61069-574-9
    .
  20. ^ Papanicolaou GN, Traut HF. "The diagnostic value of vaginal smears in carcinoma of the uterus". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1941; 42:193.
  21. ^
    PMID 29896006
    .
  22. PMID 25310617
    .
  23. ^ a b O'Dowd Michael J., Philipp Elliot E. The History of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. London: Parthenon Publishing Group; 1994: 547
  24. ^ Babeș, Aurel (1928). "Diagnostic du cancer du col utérin par les frottis". La Presse Médicale. 29: 451–454.
  25. ^
    PMID 604355
    .
  26. PMID 2642983
    .
  27. ISBN 978-0-89189-383-7
    .
  28. ISBN 978-0-7020-3154-0
    , retrieved 1 January 2023
  29. S2CID 37757448
    .
  30. S2CID 823546
    .
  31. ISBN 978-981-13-3019-3
    . The method by Babes was radically different from that by Papanicolaou. Dr. Papanicolaou should receive the credit for the use of exfoliative cytology, the wet fixation, the staining technique, the systematic classification of cells with intermediate stages between the normal and the cancerous cell, and the envisioning that the method could be applied to large numbers of women in the cancer-bearing period of life to detect cervical cancer in its early stages, i.e., the "Pap test" as is commonly employed.
  32. PMID 14664403
    .
  33. ISBN 978-0-8078-7712-8
    .
  34. S2CID 5580222
    . Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  35. S2CID 479692
    .
  36. Lasker Foundation. laskerfoundation.org. Archived from the original
    on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2009.
  37. ^ "Awards". Dr. Pap. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  38. ISBN 978-960-85139-3-8
    .
  39. ^ Papanicolaou Award
  40. ^ Bank of Greece Archived 28 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Drachma Banknotes & Coins: 10,000 drachmas Archived 5 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine – Retrieved on 27 March 2009.
  41. ^ "Georgios Papanikolaou's 136th Birthday". Google. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
  42. ^ Robinson, Jennifer. "American Experience: The Cancer Detectives," KPBS.org, Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.

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