Cytology Test

Out of all the diseases prevalent today, cancer still stands out as the one deadly disease that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The worst part about a person developing cancer is that when it gets diagnosed, the disease has usually progressed further than the stage of reversing it. Although there is no standard gold line of investigation that could help diagnose any tumour or cancer in the body, there are always certain risk factors that could help rule out its presence in the absence of other obvious symptoms. One such investigation is the Cytologic Examination. This test works to detect the presence of any abnormal or diseased cells in the body. Since any abnormal cell could be a precursor for cancer, if a person comes up with the presence of these abnormal cells, it then becomes easier to order further targeted investigations to confirm if the person might be having cancer or not. Cytology or cytological examination is different from a biopsy because, in the former, only cells are used for investigation. In contrast, in the latter, pieces of body ‘tissues’ are used for the diagnosis. A cytological examination involves investigating the following components, as needed: - Sputum - Gastric fluid - Peritoneal fluid - Pleural fluid - Tracheal washing - Spinal fluid - Bone marrow aspiration - Cervical and vaginal smears.