Search

Objective Methods Results Conclusions Over the past decade, liquid‐based cytology has replaced conventional cytology for cervical cancer screening in many countries, including Japan. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of liquid‐based cytology using a large database and compare two major liquid‐based cytology platforms, SurePath and ThinPrep, to conventional cytology.Cervical cancer screening data were collected from the Japan Cancer Society between 2015 and 2019. The efficacy of liquid‐based and conventional cytology in detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) was evaluated. Detection rates and positive predictive values were compared using a Poisson regression model.We collected data of 3,918,149 participants, including 2,248,202 conventional cytology, 874,807 SurePath and 795,140 ThinPrep smears. The detection rate of CIN2 or more was 1.14 times higher using SurePath than that using conventional cytology (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–1.20; p < 0.001). Contrastingly, the detection rate of CIN2 or more was 0.91 times lower using ThinPrep (95% CI, 0.86–0.96; p < 0.001). The detection rates of CIN3 or more did not differ significantly between SurePath and conventional cytology (detection rate ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.97–1.12; p = 0.224). The positive predictive value ratios of CIN2 or more were 0.80 using SurePath (95% CI, 0.76–0.84; p < 0.001) and 0.83 using ThinPrep (95% CI, 0.79–0.87; p < 0.001) compared with conventional cytology.Liquid‐based cytology, particularly SurePath, was useful for detecting CIN2 or higher in population‐based cervical cancer screening. Further widespread use of liquid‐based cytology methods would lead to efficient detection of cervical precancerous lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid based cytology (LBC) is relatively a newer method of exfoliative cytology for diagnosing cervical cancers and detection of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Its use in diagnosing oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is less explored. We aim to compare LBC with conventional cytology in diagnosing oral premalignant and malignant lesions and study the role of LBC in detecting HPV. A cross-sectional observational study done at a tertiary hospital on patients above 18 years clinically suspicious of oral malignant and premalignant lesions. Samples were taken using cytobrush. Conventional and LBC smears were compared using specific cytomorphologic criteria. HPV testing was done using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Statistical analysis: Data collected was entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using MedCalc software Version18.2.1. Numbers and percentages represented the qualitative data and mean and standard deviation represented quantitative data. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was applied. The accuracy of cytological screening test was presented using sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Background, uniform distribution, cellular overlapping and morphology was statistically significant with p value< 0.05. ROC and Youden index showed the sensitivity of conventional method was 56.25% and specificity was 100% where as in case of LBC, sensitivity was 62.5% and specificity was 75%. LBC does not significantly outperform conventional smear preparation for routine diagnostic and mass screening procedures. Negative result of HPV DNA in all cases using LBC vials questions the utility of cytology for HPV detection and etiological role of HPV in OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Thoracocentesis is a less invasive and expensive procedure than pleural biopsy, enabling sample collection for cytological evaluation. Cell blocks prepared from these samples provide histopathological diagnoses; further, immunohistochemistry (IHC) can be performed for subtyping malignancies, guiding the clinician in choosing the appropriate treatment modality for the patient. We aimed to determine the various histological subtypes of malignancies using cell block IHC and compare the cell block and conventional cytology methods for diagnosing malignant pleural effusion. Material and Methods: All pleural fluid samples from the clinically suspicious cases of malignancy collected at the Department of Pathology, Government Medical College Kottayam, India, during 18 months, except duplicate and inadequate samples, were included in this prospective observational study. IHC was performed on cell blocks that were positive for malignancy. Results: This study analyzed 630 samples, of which 121 cell blocks demonstrated the presence of malignancy. Overall, 80%, 13%, and 7% of cases were negative, suspicious, and positive for malignancy based on conventional cytology, and 81%, 0%, and 19% were negative, suspicious, and positive for malignancy based on cell blocks, respectively. Among all malignancies, adenocarcinomas from the lung (56%) were the most common, followed by adenocarcinomas from the breast (6%), squamous cell carcinomas (5%), and adenocarcinomas from the ovary (3%). Cell blocks helped detect more malignancies (19%) than conventional cytology (7%), despite a moderate agreement between both methods. Conclusion: Adenocarcinomas were the most common cause of malignant pleural effusions, and the most frequent site of origin was the lungs. Cell blocks helped diagnose more malignancies than conventional cytology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement is a serious complication in hematologic malignancy, and early detection and management of CNS involvement in these cases significantly impact the prognosis. Currently, there is no consensus on the use of multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) and conventional cytology (CC) testing for initial and follow-up cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens to diagnose CNS involvement by hematologic malignancy. In our institution, after initial MFC and CC, two subsequent negative MFCs are required before discontinuing MFC. The aim of this study is to evaluate the outcome of this approach. CSF cytology and MFC reports were retrieved from Laboratory Information System, and data was reviewed. Between January 2020 and December 2021, 1789 CSF samples from 280 patients were submitted for CSF analysis. For those 517 CSF samples tested by both MFC and CC, 97 cases tested positive by both MFC and CC with 95% concordance. Eighteen cases were MFC + /CC − and 7 were MFC − /CC +. Thirty-six cases had initially positive MFCs followed by more than one MFC evaluation. Among those 36 cases, 22 cases (61.1%) converted to negative after the second follow-up sample, 9 cases (25%) were continuously positive for at least three samples, and 5 cases (13.9%) exhibited negative to positive conversion. Compared to negative CSF cases, positive CSFs had higher total nucleated cell count and higher total protein levels while red blood cells, glucose, and lactate dehydrogenase levels remained at comparable levels. The concordance between MFC and CC was excellent. The high incidence of positive MFCs on two or more follow-up samples and the high frequency of negative MFC to positive conversion indicate the necessity of repeated negative MFCs before discontinuing MFC. The fact that more than half of the positive cases converted to negative after the second CSF specimen and most follow-up positive cases can be detected by CC alone suggests it is adequate to use CC alone for follow-up CSF study after two consecutive negative MFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The conventional smears (CS) and Liquid based cytology (LBC) are important tools to detect carcinoma cervix and its precursor lesions. Aims: The present study was done to compare the cytomorphological features of cervical lesions using both techniques and compare with the histopathological diagnosis. Settings and Design: This was a prospective observational study over a period of 1.5 years at a tertiary care hospital. Methods and Material: A total of 969 women in the age group of 21-65 years presenting with either routine screening or complaints of vaginal bleeding, discharge, or pelvic pain were enrolled for the study. Both the CS and LBC smears were analyzed and compared with the corresponding histopathology diagnosis. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software and P values <0.05 were considered significant. Results: There were 8.57% unsatisfactory smears in CS as compared to 0.5% in LBC smears. Liquid-based cytology was superior to conventional preparations in terms of smear adequacy, lesser hemorrhagic and inflammatory background, and presence of more endocervical cells. Liquid-based cytology showed a better yield in detecting all the types of epithelial cell lesions with a concordance rate of 73.9% between the two techniques. On histopathology correlation of these lesions, LBC had a higher sensitivity (96.67%) and diagnostic accuracy (99.08%) as compared to CS (73.33% and 92.66%, respectively). Conclusions: Liquid-based cytology is superior to conventional cytology for the detection of epithelial cell lesions. Reduction in the unsatisfactory smears, a cleaner background, and better representation of the sample are more significantly appreciated on LBC in contrast to CS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The conventional smears (CS) and Liquid based cytology (LBC) are important tools to detect carcinoma cervix and its precursor lesions. Aims: The present study was done to compare the cytomorphological features of cervical lesions using both techniques and compare with the histopathological diagnosis. Settings and Design: This was a prospective observational study over a period of 1.5 years at a tertiary care hospital. Methods and Material: A total of 969 women in the age group of 21–65 years presenting with either routine screening or complaints of vaginal bleeding, discharge, or pelvic pain were enrolled for the study. Both the CS and LBC smears were analyzed and compared with the corresponding histopathology diagnosis. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software and P values

Introduction: Neoplastic cell infiltration into the central nervous system (CNS) is a serious complication of hematologic neoplasms. Successful management of CNS involvement requires early detection and treatment, as well as reliable criteria to evaluate the patient's treatment response. This study aimed to evaluate the agreement between flow cytometry (FCM) and conventional cytology (CC) findings for the detection of CNS involvement in hematologic malignancies. Methods: A total of 120 patients were examined in this study, including 111 patients with a previous diagnosis of hematologic malignancies and nine patients with abnormal CNS manifestations. Demographic information, including age and sex, and data on diagnosis and previous bone marrow immunophenotyping were collected for analysis. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was divided into two halves; one was sent to the cytology laboratory, and the other was sent for the FCM analysis. Results: Out of 120 CSF samples evaluated in this study, the results of FCM and CC were concordant in 111 cases (79.4% agreement), including 96 FCM-/CC- and 15 FCM+/CC + cases (P

Copyright of Universitas Scientiarum is the property of Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Stephanie F Armstrong,1 Julian F Guest1,2 1Catalyst Consultants, Rickmansworth, UK; 2Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College, London, UKCorrespondence: Julian F GuestCatalyst Consultants, 7 Gilham Court, Ebury Road, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 1FZ, UKTel +44 1923 450045Fax +44 1923 450046Email julian.guest@catalyst-health.comObjective: To assess the health economic impact of cervical screening with liquid based cytology (LBC) compared with conventional cytology (CC) in Germany.Methods: An economic model was constructed depicting the management of a hypothetical cohort of women aged ≥ 20 years who undergo cervical screening in Germany. The model estimated the cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit of LBC compared with CC at 2017/18 prices over a time-horizon of 70 years.Results: Performing cervical screens with LBC instead of CC is expected to increase the probability of detecting a true positive over a subject’s lifetime by 73% (0.038 versus 0.022) and of diagnosing a subject with stage 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN3) (0.019 versus 0.011). Women screened with LBC instead of CC are expected to have a 57% reduction in the probability of having undetected CIN3 (0.006 versus 0.014) and to experience a 44% reduction in the probability of transitioning into disease progression (from 0.018 to 0.010). The mean discounted lifetime cost of healthcare resource use associated with performing cervical screens with LBC and CC was estimated at € 4852 and € 7523 per subject respectively. For every Euro invested in cervical screening with LBC instead of CC, the German healthcare system could potentially save ∼€ 170 over a subject’s lifetime.Conclusion: Within the study’s limitations, the analysis showed that LBC affords a cost-effective cervical screening test compared with CC in Germany, since it improves detection rates and has the potential to lead to a reduction in disease progression for less cost.Keywords: cancer, cervical screening, conventional cytology, cost-effectiveness, liquid based cytology, Germany, Papanicolaou

Background: Among all diagnostic techniques for breast lesions, fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is the simplest, most reliable and cheapest one. Aim: To compare liquid-based and conventional cytology in diagnosis of breast mass. Materials and Methods: About 101 patients with breast mass were enrolled. The aspirated materials were divided into two parts. One was poured into a liquid medium and the other part was directly spread on clean glass slides. Conventional and liquid-based preparations were compared using several criteria including adequacy (presence of the epithelial cluster or myoepithelial cells), overall cellularity, presence of single epithelial cells, presence of myoepithelial cells, epithelial architecture, nuclear detail, nuclear atypia and inflammatory/proteinaceous background and final diagnosis. Results: Among 101 cases, 85 (84.1%) were malignant and 16 (15.9%) were benign. Conventional and liquid-based cytology were similar according to adequacy (P = 0.65), cellularity (P = 0.13), epithelial architecture (P = 0.15), presence of myoepithelial cells (P = 0.61), nuclear detail (P = 0.57) and nuclear atypia (P = 0.44), while there were a significant difference between the two methods according to the presence of single epithelial cells (P < 0.001) and background (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Liquid-based cytology of breast specimens is an accurate diagnostic tool with high diagnostic yield in benign and malignant lesions.

Abstract Background Exfoliative cytology performed on oral brush samples can help dentists to decide, whether a given oral lesion is (pre-) malignant. The use of non-invasive brush biopsies as an auxiliary tool in the diagnosis of oral mucosal lesions has gained renewed interest since improvements in cytological techniques such as the development of adjuvant diagnostic tools and liquid-based cell preparation techniques. Methods The aim of this study was to compare the quality of two different preparation techniques (cell collectors): the conventional transfer procedure to glass slides and the so-called liquid-based cytology preparation method. Cell smears were collected from 10 orally healthy individuals (mean age: 24 years) from the palatine mucosa at two different times (baseline and 4 weeks later). Slides of both techniques were stained by Giemsa (n = 40) and May-Gruenwald Giemsa (n = 40). The statistical analysis was performed with Excel. Results On specimen analysis, the liquid-based cytology showed statistically significant improvement compared to conventional glass sides (p

Introduction: Cervicouterine cancer (CC) is a health problem worldwide and is the fourth most common cancer in women, with a greater proportion of individuals affected by advanced stages of the disease in developing countries. Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the TruScreen™ opto-electronic device vs. conventional cytology in CC screenings. Methodology: This is a prospective observational study that included individuals who presented for the first time at the Dysplasia Clinic of the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología from March 1 through April 30, 2016, and those referred due to abnormal conventional cytology. The patients were evaluated with the TruScreen™ device, conventional cytology, colposcopy and, if necessary, cervical biopsy. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics as well as the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the TruScreen™, using conventional cytology as the standard. Results: Thirty-two patients were included who met the inclusion criteria. The average age of the patients was 40 years (range, 23–61 years). For the diagnosis of high-grade intraepithelial lesions, the TruScreen™ device showed a 43% sensitivity, a 92% specificity, a PPV of 60%, and a NPV of 85%, whereas evaluation via cervical biopsy exhibited a 33% sensitivity, an 86% specificity, a 33% PPV, and an 86% NPV. The Kappa agreement index of the TruScreen™ with the colposcopies was 0.70. Conclusions: TruScreen™ demonstrated low sensitivity and high specificity compared with conventional cytology, which had a high NPV.

Background: Liquid-based cytology (LBC) is a method of retrieving and processing of cytological material for the assessment of both gynecological and nongynecological cases introduced in 1996. Mostly conventional smears (CS) are prepared in Indian scenario; however, due to increasing popularity of LBC in nongynecology specimens, LBC is also used in few centers for diagnosing salivary gland neoplasm. Aim: The aim of this study is to compare CS and LBC in fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the salivary gland neoplasms in terms of cytomorphological details, adequacy, ease of interpretation, pitfalls, and diagnostic efficiency. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective, observational, comparative study which included 64 salivary gland neoplasms. Both CS and LBC (SurePath) were prepared as per standard protocols and examined. Results and Conclusion: In our study, specificity and positive predictive value of both the techniques (conventional and LBC) were found to be 100%. Sensitivity of both the techniques was found to be similar (66.7%). Negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of conventional technique were found to be almost similar to that of LBC technique (97.6% vs. 97.2% and 97.7% vs. 97.4%). In terms of adequacy and cellularity, CSs were better than LBC. Ease of interpretation was better with CSs due to abundant chondromyxoid stroma, an important clue in the diagnosis of pleomorphic adenoma. Nuclear details and background were better in LBC as compared to CS. Hence, we conclude that in salivary gland FNAC, both CS and LBC have similar diagnostic efficiency. however, interpretation of conventional smears is easier than Liquid Based Cytology especially in cases of pleomorphic adenoma. However, some advantages of LBC in respect to conventional cytology, with better-preserved morphology obtained from LBC becomes furthermore obligatory.

Objectives: The high-risk human papilloma virus test with conventional cytology (HPVco-test) was firstly introduced in our institute in May 2019. So, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of abnormal cytology and positive high-risk human papillomavirus test results in a screening woman and to assess the accuracy between cytology and human papilloma virus testing to evaluate the feasibility of integrating the latter as a primary test in the national cervical cancer screening program. Methods: A prospective study for women attending to early detection cervical clinic, during the period from May 2019 to May 2020. Patients who were sexually active were included in the study. Samples for conventional cytology and HPV by using real-time polymerase chain reaction technique for high risk types were taken concurrently. The prevalence of positive screening results and the difference in accuracy between two testing were estimated by McNemar's χ² test. Result: A total of 388 women were included in the study. The prevalence of positive test for hr-HPV was 2.1% (8) while the prevalence of abnormal cytology test was 19.1% (74). Concerning discordant pairs, 0.8% (3) of women had normal cytology with a positive hr-HPV test result and 17.8% (69) of women had abnormal cytology with a negative hr-HPV test result. A total of 311 (80.1%) women had normal cytology and negative hr-HPV test results. The proportion of women with abnormal cytology and positive hr-HPV test results was 1.3% (5 women). The difference in accuracy between the two results was statistically significant (<0.0001). The prevalence of positive hr-HPV test decreased with increasing age, whereas the prevalence of abnormal cytology showed a bimodal age pattern. Conclusion: The prevalence of abnormal cytology was high to that of hr-HPV testing, which could not allow for the implementation of hr-HPV as a primary test in the national screening program in Iraq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liquid-based cytology (LBC) for cervical cancer screening offers several advantages over conventional cytology. However, the extremely high cost of the current approved devices precludes widespread application of LBC technique in resource-constrained countries. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of an indigenous low-cost LBC technique, EziPREP™ (EP), against conventional preparations (CPs) for cervical cancer screening. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional split-sample study with consecutive cervical sampling was conducted on 515 women attending the clinic at our institute. CP smears were prepared as per the standard technique using spatula and endocervical brush followed by detaching the head of brush into the fixative vial of EP. The EP samples were processed as per the manufacturer's protocol. Both CP and EP smears were stained using standard Papanicolaou stain protocol. Both sets of smears were evaluated for staining quality, morphologic details, and cytologic diagnoses. Cytologic diagnoses were correlated with cervical biopsy findings, wherever available. Performance characteristics of the two techniques were calculated. Results: The unsatisfactory rate for CP was 1.0%, while on EP, 1.3% smears had inadequate cellular material. The staining quality and morphological details were comparable in both sets of smears. The detection of infections and epithelial cell abnormality was more, though not statistically significant in EP smears. There was a 98% concordance in cytologic diagnosis between CP and EP smears. Cytohistologic concordance was observed in 96% of cases for both CP and EP smears. Although the time taken for processing and staining of smears was higher for EP (2.5 min for EP per smear and 1.6 min for CP per smear), the screening time reduced from 6.5 min per smear for CP to 2.2 min in EP smears. Conclusion: EP provides monolayered cervical smears with vivid morphological details, leading to reduced screening time and relatively higher pick-up of infections and low-grade cervical lesions as compared to conventional smears. The availability of such low-cost devices may enable wider application of cytology-based cervical cancer screening in low-resource countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liquid-based cytology (LBC) has been developed as an alternative for conventional cytology (CC) in cervical smears. It is now increasingly being used all over the world for cervical cancer screening. However, its role and diagnostic accuracy in bronchial wash (BW)/bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens remains undetermined. Aims: To assess and compare the diagnostic performance and accuracy of LBC with CC for detecting malignancy in bronchial specimens. Settings and Design: This was a retrospective analytical hospital-based study. Materials and Methods: Bronchial specimens (BW/BAL) received over a period of 4.5 years were reviewed. The samples were processed by CC from June 2010 to September 2012 (2.25 years) and by LBC from October 2012 to December 2014 (2.25 years). Data were retrieved from the records of cytology laboratory and compared among both the groups. Detection rate for histologically or cytologically verified samples was calculated. Results: A total of 559 cases verified by histological and cytological follow-up were evaluated. These included 247 CC cases and 312 LBC cases. The positive diagnostic rate for malignancy in CC was 28.6% whereas that for LBC was 32.9%. The negative diagnostic rates were 66.5% and 66.3% for CC and LBC, respectively. However, unsatisfactory rates had shown a good reduction from 4.4% in CC to 0.6% after LBC introduction. The smears showed more homogeneous distribution of cells with elimination of obscuring factors such as blood, inflammation, and mucus. Conclusions: The diagnostic accuracy of LBC was slightly better than CC. The unsatisfactory rates showed reduction in LBC preparation. Thus, LBC is a viable alternative to CC and has the advantages of standardization of preparation with decrease in unsatisfactory rates.

Our objective is to compare and evaluate the liquid based cytology (LBC) results with the conventional cytology (CC) results for cervical cancer. Cross sectional study. The results of 1531 women, applied to our outpatient clinic, for cervical cancer screening between the years 2012- 2015, were evaluated. We have applied liquid based cytology on 958 (62.6%) of the patients, and conventional cytology on 573 (37.4%) of the patients. Unsatisfactory smear results for examination were found to be significantly lower in LBC compared to CC (20.3% vs. 0.4%, p [Med-Science 2016; 5(4.000): 919-27]

Introduction: Liquid-based cytology (LBC) has replaced conventional smear (CS) in the world. In this study, through a series with a large number of cases, we aimed to make a comparison and general evaluation in all groups, primarily epithelial abnormalities, according to LBC and CS methods. This study was carried out in a private pathology laboratory located in a metropolitan city, where cytological materials sent from many clinics were examined., Material and Methods: There were 165,915 cases whose smears were examined between 2012 and 2020, most of them conventional (131,224 CS, 34,691 LBC). Cases were evaluated on the basis of the Bethesda 2014 classification and divided into sub-diagnostic categories after they were divided into two main groups as "with epithelial abnormalities" and "without." χ2 and Fischer's precision statistical tests were conducted using SPSS 23.0 package. In the CS process, cervical samples were obtained using an endocervical brush and a spatula. Cells were directly spread onto the slides and promptly fixed in 95% ethanol, followed by staining with the standard Papanicolaou stain. For LBC ThinPrep, cervical specimens were gathered using a cervix brush. The brush was washed in a vial and discarded. Finally, cells were isolated through vacuum filtration and transferred to the slide using air pressure., Results: Squamous cell abnormalities (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance [ASC-US], atypical squamous cells - cannot exclude high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [ASC-H], low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [LSIL], high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion [HSIL], squamous cell carcinoma, atypical glandular cells of undetermined significance) were reported in 5,696 (3.43%) cases. ASC (ASC-US + ASC-H)/SIL ratio (1.36/2.04) was found to be 0.67 (recommended Bethesda ratio is &lt;3). ASC-US (p &lt; 0.001), ASC-H (p &lt; 0.001), and HSIL(p &lt; 0.001) detection rate of LBC was found to be significantly higher than CS. ASC-US (1.8/1.2), ASC-H (0.08/0.008), and HSIL (0.6/0.3) case ratios of LBC/CS were found to be significantly higher in LBC. LSIL (1.72/1.66) rate was similar., Conclusion: LBC is superior to CS in detecting epithelial lesions. In addition to being used as a screening method, it is clear that it makes a great contribution to reducing cervical carcinomas due to HPV typing. Definitive comments regarding comparison of methods on reactive changes and microorganism detection are challenging. Preanalytical factors might account for these situations., (© 2024 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Among all diagnostic techniques for breast lesions, fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is the simplest, most reliable and cheapest one. Aim: To compare liquid-based and conventional cytology in diagnosis of breast mass. Materials and Methods: About 101 patients with breast mass were enrolled. The aspirated materials were divided into two parts. One was poured into a liquid medium and the other part was directly spread on clean glass slides. Conventional and liquid-based preparations were compared using several criteria including adequacy (presence of the epithelial cluster or myoepithelial cells), overall cellularity, presence of single epithelial cells, presence of myoepithelial cells, epithelial architecture, nuclear detail, nuclear atypia and inflammatory/proteinaceous background and final diagnosis. Results: Among 101 cases, 85 (84.1%) were malignant and 16 (15.9%) were benign. Conventional and liquid-based cytology were similar according to adequacy (P = 0.65), cellularity (P = 0.13), epithelial architecture (P = 0.15), presence of myoepithelial cells (P = 0.61), nuclear detail (P = 0.57) and nuclear atypia (P = 0.44), while there were a significant difference between the two methods according to the presence of single epithelial cells (P < 0.001) and background (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Liquid-based cytology of breast specimens is an accurate diagnostic tool with high diagnostic yield in benign and malignant lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cervicouterine cancer (CC) is a health problem worldwide and is the fourth most common cancer in women, with a greater proportion of individuals affected by advanced stages of the disease in developing countries. Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of the TruScreen™ opto-electronic device vs. conventional cytology in CC screenings. Methodology: This is a prospective observational study that included individuals who presented for the first time at the Dysplasia Clinic of the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología from March 1 through April 30, 2016, and those referred due to abnormal conventional cytology. The patients were evaluated with the TruScreen™ device, conventional cytology, colposcopy and, if necessary, cervical biopsy. The results were analyzed by descriptive statistics as well as the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the TruScreen™, using conventional cytology as the standard. Results: Thirty-two patients were included who met the inclusion criteria. The average age of the patients was 40 years (range, 23-61 years). For the diagnosis of high-grade intraepithelial lesions, the TruScreen™ device showed a 43% sensitivity, a 92% specificity, a PPV of 60%, and a NPV of 85%, whereas evaluation via cervical biopsy exhibited a 33% sensitivity, an 86% specificity, a 33% PPV, and an 86% NPV. The Kappa agreement index of the TruScreen™ with the colposcopies was 0.70. Conclusions: TruScreen™ demonstrated low sensitivity and high specificity compared with conventional cytology, which had a high NPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oral exfoliative cytology is a novel technique of using cells to detect dysplastic changes in the oral cavity in potentially malignant disorders and malignant oral lesions in resourced challenged areas. The aim of this study was to compare specimen adequacy and cellular clarity between oral rinse-based smears and conventional smears in normal controls, histologically confirmed and clinically diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma, and oral leukoplakia. For many years, oral rinse-based cytology has been used to detect candidal colonization in microbiology. Emphasis has been placed to detect changes in oral rinse-based cytology. From this research and development, oral rinse-based cytology has evolved as a method of preparing samples for examination in cytopathology.Materials and Methods: Oral exfoliated cells from 10 cases of smears of potentially malignant disorders (oral leukoplakia), 10 cases of histologically confirmed and clinically diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma, and 10 controls with healthy mucosa were taken. Smears were stained with the Papanicolaou stain and were examined independently by two different oral pathologists. The results were compared to assess four parameters such as nuclear cytoplasmic ratio, sample adequacy, cellular distribution, and cellular clarity in both the smears. The results were then analyzed with SPSS (version 20) software using the descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation and inferential statistics such as t-test and one-way ANOVA. The level of significance was set at 5%.Results: Oral rinse-based cytology was significantly more efficient than conventional exfoliative cytology in terms of cellular clarity (P < 0.001), cellular distribution (P < 0.001), and sample adequacy (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Oral rinse-based cytology shows overall improvement in cellular clarity, sample adequacy as compared to traditional exfoliative cytology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In conventional cytology, preparation of a specimen by wet fixation for Papanicolaou stain is potentially subject to dry effect or cell loss which may make cytologic interpretation difficult or even impossible. We have been routinely making an additional smear for rehydration with normal saline (rehydration method) before wet fixation to overcome the above shortcomings. Methods: We reviewed malignant pleural effusion and ascites 15 cases each in our cytology laboratory over the past 1 year. Four slides of each specimen were made. Two were air‐dried for Liu's stain (a Romanowsky stain) and the other two were wet‐fixed for Papanicolaou stain. The air‐dried smears were also served as retained cellularity control. One of the two wet‐fixed smears was processed as a control of preservation of nuclear detail whereas the other one stayed air‐dried for 10 minutes and then covered with normal saline (rehydration method) for 80 seconds before wet fixation. Results: There was minor cell loss (P = .032). The cells appeared larger with good preservation of nuclear detail (P < .0001 by two‐sided Wilcoxon rank sum test) but no red blood cells retained on the slide after rehydration. Conclusion: The rehydration method can effectively minimise cell loss, enlarge and preserve the cytological features of malignant cells with haemolysis. This method is simple, practical and good for cytological screening for tumour cells and interpretation especially in a bloody smear. We recommend that the rehydration method be part of traditional cytopreparatory work of wet fixation for Papanicolaou stain in conventional body fluid cytology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To explore the value of flow cytometric (FCM) analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the diagnosis of central nervous system involvement in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) during follow‐up. Methods: A total of 2871 CSF samples from 357 adult patients with newly diagnosed ALL between the year of 2009 and 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. These patients were divided into 3 groups according to CSF results, FCM+/conventional cytology (CC)+ group, FCM+/CC− group, and FCM−/CC− group, respectively. The overall survival (OS) of the three groups was analyzed. Results: Fifteen (4.2%) and 26 (7.3%) patients' CSF samples were FCM+/CC+ and FCM+/CC−, respectively. The remaining 316 (88.5%) patients' samples were FCM−/CC−. The 2‐year OS for the FCM+/CC+, FCM+/CC−, and FCM−/CC− groups was 40.0%, 20.6%, and 64.2%, respectively (P < .001). There was no statistically significant difference in OS between FCM+/CC+ and FCM+/CC− patients (P = .195). In multivariate analysis, a high WBC count and LDH level were independent risk factors for central nervous system involvement in adult patients with ALL. Conclusions: FCM demonstrated a superior sensitivity over conventional cytology in the diagnosis of central nervous system involvement in adult patients with ALL. FCM+/CC− patients showed a similar survival with FCM+/CC+ patients, suggesting that an isolated FCM‐positive status holds clinical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this prospective split sample study was to evaluate the applicability of liquid-based cytology (LBC) of oral brush biopsies for detection of oral cancer. Methods: Two different preparation techniques were investigated: the conventional transfer procedure to glass slides and the LBC preparation method. The obtainments of epithelial cells were performed five times with a nylon brush and transferred onto five glass slides. Additionally, the brushes, which were normally discarded, were stored in a fixative solution. Conventional slides and respective thin layers from a total of 113 cases were reviewed with both techniques. Results: Thin layers showed excellent morphology on a clear background, which allowed an accurate diagnosis. In contrast, the conventional glass slides showed significantly more blood contamination and cell overlapping. The sensitivity of conventional cytological diagnosis was 96.3%, the specificity archived 90.6%, the positive predictive value was 96.3% and the negative predictive value scored 90.6%. The sensitivity of the cytological diagnosis using thin layers archived 97.5%, the specificity was 68.8%, the positive predictive value revealed 88.76% and negative predictive value was 91.7%. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that in oral cytology, LBC may replace other types of wet-fixed preparations using the full amount of collected cells, resulting in enhanced specimen quality archiving comparable values of diagnostic accuracy. Clinical relevance: LBC facilitates the cell collection due to simpler handling and less transfer errors by dentists and may improve the overall diagnostic accuracy of oral brush biopsies in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of the present study was to compare the cytomorphological features and cytopathological diagnoses in thyroid aspiration materials prepared by SurePath® ( SP) and conventional cytology ( CC). Materials and methods Fine needle aspiration (FNA) materials from 180 thyroid nodules were divided into two groups to prepare three conventional smears and one SP slide. Twenty-nine cytomorphological features of thyroid lesions were compared in the CC and SP slides. The Kappa coefficiency was determined for each. The cytopathological diagnosis of CC and SP were compared. Results The feature with the lowest Kappa coefficient was the haemorrhagic background, whereas nuclear molding had the highest Kappa coefficient. The rates of the atypical and suspicious cytopathological diagnostic categories were decreased, whereas the rates of benign and malignant categories were increased in SP. When the cytopathological diagnoses of CC and SP were compared with the histopathological diagnoses of the 31 thyroidectomy materials, the results were similar. Conclusion The common problems seen in CC, such as an excessive number of slides, a haemorrhagic background and air drying artefact in the SP method were not encountered. Through these advantages, the rate of the indeterminate cytopathological diagnosis was low in SP. In addition to those advantages, the increased rates of non-diagnostic cases, the difficulty in evaluating the cytomorphologic features owing to tridimensional structures and the smaller size of the cells and the presence of tridimensional structures uninterpreted microscopically were the disadvantages of SP. The present results showed that SP could be used instead of CC in thyroid cytopathology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liquid-based cytology (LBC) has been developed as an alternative for conventional cytology (CC) in cervical smears. It is now increasingly being used all over the world for cervical cancer screening. However, its role and diagnostic accuracy in bronchial wash (BW)/bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens remains undetermined. Aims: To assess and compare the diagnostic performance and accuracy of LBC with CC for detecting malignancy in bronchial specimens. Settings and Design: This was a retrospective analytical hospital-based study. Materials and Methods: Bronchial specimens (BW/BAL) received over a period of 4.5 years were reviewed. The samples were processed by CC from June 2010 to September 2012 (2.25 years) and by LBC from October 2012 to December 2014 (2.25 years). Data were retrieved from the records of cytology laboratory and compared among both the groups. Detection rate for histologically or cytologically verified samples was calculated. Results: A total of 559 cases verified by histological and cytological follow-up were evaluated. These included 247 CC cases and 312 LBC cases. The positive diagnostic rate for malignancy in CC was 28.6% whereas that for LBC was 32.9%. The negative diagnostic rates were 66.5% and 66.3% for CC and LBC, respectively. However, unsatisfactory rates had shown a good reduction from 4.4% in CC to 0.6% after LBC introduction. The smears showed more homogeneous distribution of cells with elimination of obscuring factors such as blood, inflammation, and mucus. Conclusions: The diagnostic accuracy of LBC was slightly better than CC. The unsatisfactory rates showed reduction in LBC preparation. Thus, LBC is a viable alternative to CC and has the advantages of standardization of preparation with decrease in unsatisfactory rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Within the last decade, SurePath and ThinPrep [both liquid-based cytology (LBC) tests] have replaced conventional cytology (CC) as primary test method in cervical cancer screening programs of multiple countries. The aim of our study was to examine the effect in the Dutch screening program.Methods: All primary smears taken within this program from 2000 to 2011 were analyzed using the nationwide registry of histo- and cytopathology (PALGA) with a follow-up until March 2013. The percentage of smears classified as borderline/mildly dyskaryotic (BMD) and >BMD as well as CIN and cervical cancer detection rates were compared between SurePath and ThinPrep versus CC by logistic regression analyses (adjusted for age, screen region, socioeconomic status, and calendar time).Results: We included 3,118,685 CC, 1,313,731 SurePath, and 1,584,587 ThinPrep smears. Using SurePath resulted in an increased rate of primary smears classified as >BMD [odds ratio (OR) = 1.12 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-1.16)]. CIN I and II(+) detection rates increased by 14 % [OR = 1.14 (95% CI 1.08-1.20)] and 8 % [OR = 1.08 (95% CI 1.05-1.12)]. Cervical cancer detection rates were unaffected. Implementing ThinPrep did not result in major alterations of the cytological classification of smears, and it did not affect CIN detection rates. While not significant, cervical cancer detection rates were lower [OR = 0.87 (95% CI 0.75-1.01)].Conclusions: The impact of replacing CC by LBC as primary test method depends on the type of LBC test used. Only the use of SurePath was associated with increased CIN II(+) detection, although it simultaneously increased the detection of CIN I. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Our objectives were to determine the reproducibility of cytological specimen interpretation between two pathologists in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women (from the VIHGY, ANRS C017 study of human papillomavirus genital pathology among HIV-positive women) and to analyse the improvement, if any, between conventional and liquid-based cytology (LBC) interpretations. Materials and methods: A sample of all abnormal and 40% of randomly selected normal Papanicolaou (Pap) tests was randomly ordered and read blindly by a second pathologist using the revised Bethesda terminology 2001. For both conventional and liquid-based preparations, unweighted and Cicchetti-Allisonweighted kappa and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Kappa values were then compared using the Altman rule to classify the reproducibility of cytological specimen interpretation. Results: Two hundred and seventy-seven conventional Pap tests were reviewed, including 79 abnormal and 10 unsatisfactory results. Overall agreement between the two observers was 78%, with an estimated Cicchetti- Allison-weighted kappa of 0.69 (95%CI, 0.61-0.77). The corresponding values for the 268 LBCs, including 123 abnormal and two unsatisfactory results, were 84% and 0.82 (95%CI, 0.76-0.87), respectively. The reproducibility of LBC interpretations was significantly higher than that of conventional preparations (P = 0.009) and, for both laboratories, the percentages of unsatisfactory results were significantly lower for LBC. Conclusion: In HIV-infected women in the combination antiretroviral therapy era, the strength of agreement was better for LBCs than for conventional preparations, with a lower percentage of unsatisfactory results. When available, LBC should be preferred because of its higher reproducibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Simple screening test for resource-challenged areas. Aims: To compare specimen adequacy and diagnostic agreement between oral rinse-based smears and conventional smears in oral cancer, oral leukoplakia, and normal controls. Settings and Design: Twenty-five histologically confirmed cases of oral cancer, 29 clinically diagnosed cases of oral leukoplakia, and 54 normal controls were subjected to the oral rub-and-rinse technique and the conventional exfoliative cytology. Patients and Methods: Smears were consequently stained with the Papanicolaou (PAP) stain and were examined independently by two different cytopathologists in a double-blind fashion. The results were classified as: Negative, atypical, positive, and unsatisfactory. Furthermore, they were compared, to assess the sample adequacy, cellular distribution, staining, leucocytes/inflammation and cellular clarity in both the smears. Statistical Analysis Used: Chi square test and Wilcoxon-matched pairs signed rank test (P ≤ 0.05). Results: Among the cancer cases, 84% showed positive, 8% atypical, and 8% unsatisfactory, after using the conventional technique, whereas, the oral rinse technique showed 80% positive, 16% atypical, and 4% unsatisfactory cases. The conventional technique showed 44.82, 37.93, and 6.89% and the oral rinse technique showed 48.27, 31.03, and 20.68% negative, positive, and atypical cases, respectively, among the leukoplakia cases. Among the normal controls, 9.26 and 90.74% and with the oral rinse technique 3.70 and 96.29% showed atypical and negative cases with the conventional technique. Sample adequacy and cellular clarity showed a statistically significant difference between both techniques. Conclusions: Both smears were diagnostically reliable, however, the oral rinse-based method showed an overall improvement in sample adequacy and cellular clarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]