What is Cytological Examination?

Cytological examination is a type of clinical pathological examination used to detect whether certain cells are diseased. It can not only diagnose malignancies but also guide treatment. Cytological examination involves observing the morphology of exfoliated cells on slides under a microscope, but it cannot observe tissue structure and can only observe cell morphology. It has the advantages of being noninvasive, painless, and rapid. Cytological examination is a subset of clinical pathological examination and can assist in the diagnosis of many diseases.

Firstly, it is particularly useful for diagnosing suspicious malignancies, such as thyroid cancer or cervical cancer, through tissue biopsies and cytological examination. Secondly, it helps to identify whether these cells have abnormal lesions, precancerous lesions, or have already become carcinoma in situ or malignant cells. Thirdly, cytological examination in pathology is considered the gold standard for diagnosing malignancies and can also assist in guiding treatment.

How to perform cytological examination? Firstly, cytological examination involves taking smears of exfoliated cells and observing their morphology under a microscope. Secondly, it is commonly used in screenings for diseases such as breast cancer and cervical cancer, cervical cytology, pleural effusion, ascites cytology, and needle aspiration cytology. Thirdly, compared to tissue biopsies, cytological examination has the advantages of being noninvasive, painless, and rapid. However, it cannot observe tissue structure and can only observe cell morphology, resulting in lower accuracy.