high grade squamous of the cervix

i had a biopsy taken of my cervix which showed precanceruos cells.my doctor called it high grade squamous,he says he says he needs to do a cone biopsy to cut the precancer cells out.my question is is there any way that they could still find cancerous cells when they examine my cone biopsy ,even if they only showed up precancerous in my other biopsy and my pap?i got so worried when i found out they also have to test the cone biopsy for cancer.

[Kamal S Saini, MD, MRCP (UK), DM]

Hi,
The Pap smear is a screening test used to detect and study cervical cells. In your case, these cells are in a pre-cancerous stage termed "high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion" or HSIL.
The next step is to treat the HSIL, which is done by removing a cone of cervical tissue from containing HSIL. Cone biopsy may be done using one of many techniques: loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), scalpel, cryotherapy, laser etc. Essentially, all these techniques differ only in the way the tissue is obtained (knife, electric instrument, cold, laser) but are similar in the final goal: to take out the at-risk tissue in order to prevent the future development of cancer.
After the cone biopsy, you may experience some discomfort and discharge for a few days. Avoid bathing in a tub or pool, and also avoid tampons for some time.
All the best, and God Bless.