Importance of Cytopathology in Early Cancer Diagnosis , , Shri Ram Medical College

Individual cell research is called cytology, and the study of abnormal or diseased cells is called cytopathology. A patient s tissue or fluid sample is applied to a slide and stained. The anatomical pathologist studies the slide under a microscope to identify the number of cells, their types, grouping patterns, and other characteristics (shape, size, nucleus etc). Finding out whether a condition is present and what the most likely diagnosis is using this information is helpful. The most common application of cytology is as a screening method to detect disease and determine whether further testing is necessary. The examination of a breast lump is an example of screening. A needle aspirate of the lump submitted for cytology, along with the clinician s assessment and imaging testing, will reveal if the breast cells are suspicious for cancer or appear bland, benign. If they look suspect, a bigger needle may be used to extract more tissue and make a diagnosis before surgery (local removal of the lump