Thankyou Mac and Graham for your comments.
I, unfortunately, do not have a good understanding of the technical terms you have expressed - all I am trying to establish is whether the pap smear should have picked up an anomaly if it was done properly i.e. using the prescribed pap smear technique(s). At this point in time, I am finding it very difficult to not blame the doctor that did her last pre-diagnosis pap smear for the mess we are currently in.
I haven't been able to come to terms with my wife's (and indeed our families) misfortune in the way this has panned out - it is totally unjust and unfair.
VH-MLE