Soft Tissue Tumors Introduction Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of mesenchymal lesions is still controversial. It is not as widely accepted as FNAB of solid organs. One of the possible reasons for the low acceptance might be the inexperience of most…
Introduction Ocular cytology challenges cytologists, in part because of the rarity of these specimens. Surprising to most cytologists, definitive ophthalmic cancer therapy rarely requires cellular or tissue diagnosis. Instead, experienced ocular oncologists, with the aid of direct visualization, can accurately…
Introduction The focus of this chapter is primarily on utilizing cerebrospinal fluid analysis as a means to diagnose central nervous system (CNS) disease (both neoplastic and non-neoplastic). Prior editions have included fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of brain lesions; however, we feel…
Introduction Urine cytology as a method for diagnosing bladder carcinoma was introduced in 1945 by Papanicolaou and Marshall. Urothelial cells are present in all urine specimens and exfoliate readily from tumors of the urothelial lining. Urine cytology is therefore an…
Introduction The digestive system is an integrated collection of anatomically and physiologically distinct organs and structures. They may be involved in a large number of important inflammatory and neoplastic diseases, most of which have been well characterized histologically. Yet, the…
Introduction Hippocrates, in ancient Greece, is recorded to have used sputum to diagnose pulmonary disease. Thousands of years later with the discovery of the microscope, the pioneers of modern medicine in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries started observing the sputum…
Peritoneal Washings Peritoneal cytology has an important role in the diagnosis and staging of abdominal and gynecologic neoplasms. Where peritoneal involvement by malignant tumors is extensive such as mesothelioma or high-grade abdominal or ovarian carcinomas, diagnosis can usually be confirmed…
Introduction Vulvar and vaginal exfoliative cytology, although not a substitute for biopsy, may provide valuable information about the nature of a lesion without causing significant discomfort to a patient. Although unsuspected cancer is rarely identified by this approach, a wide…
Introduction The primary purpose of gynecologic exfoliative cytology remains the detection of cervical carcinoma and its precursor lesions. Although gynecologic cytology may detect significant endometrial disease, screening for endometrial disease using gynecologic cytology is not appropriate. Direct endometrial cytology may…
Introduction The relevance of lesions derived from the glandular portions of the endocervical canal has increased in recent years. There has been a reported increase in the incidence of preneoplastic and neoplastic endocervical lesions, both absolute and relative, when compared…