In cytology, there is a whole arsenal of tools for obtaining cells from such a material and staining them for subsequent microscopic examination. Under a microscope, the structure of the tissue, the interaction of cells with each other, or the state of the intercellular substance are not visible, but the cells themselves are clearly visible, and from their appearance it is possible to determine what is happening in this part of the body, whether there is a disease, and whether it is life-threatening.
Since cytology allows you to study individual cells or groups of them in detail, the diagnostic breadth of the method is limited to those processes that are characterized by the presence of any features in the cells: most often it concerns infectious diseases and oncology.
Identification and identification of the type of microorganism is necessary for the appointment of proper therapy with antibiotics. Despite the fact that recently a replacement method has appeared in the diagnosis of many infections - PCR - this does not reduce the value of the cytological method.
During the oncological process, cells also change significantly, and the cytological method is of no small importance, first of all, in determining the presence of a tumor, and can often indicate its type. The use of immunocytochemistry makes it possible to expand the diagnostic capabilities of the method and improve the quality of diagnosis.
Although cytology is no younger than histology, its technological innovations are much more modest. For example, liquid cytology, a method in which the material is prepared in such a way that the cells under the microscope are arranged in a single layer, is available only to a few laboratories. Histology equipment is excellent for cytological and immunocytochemical staining of cells, and again, most cytology laboratories cannot afford to purchase automated staining systems for financial and technological reasons. For a histological laboratory, such systems are a vital necessity, and therefore, a cytological laboratory existing within the framework of a histological laboratory makes it possible to maximize the full potential of the cytological method.
PAP test
There are relatively simple methods for detecting cervical cancer. This is a PAP test, a Pap smear, or a smear for atypia. Due to its simplicity, reproducibility, and cheapness, the method has become a screening method and has gained popularity due to its high specificity. However, medicine does not stand still, and today we know that cervical cancer is almost always associated with the human papillomavirus. High-performance automatic systems are available to us for diagnosing infections, and specialists are increasingly encountering cases where a smear for atypia skips the tumor process, meaning its sensitivity is insufficient.
In 2014, the US Department of Health (FDA), having studied in detail the available scientific data, which demonstrated a higher sensitivity of the method compared to cytological, approved the CobasHPV PCR study as a screening method, thereby recognizing that the study meets modern standards. It is not inferior to the challenges of healthcare and is not inferior to the traditional cytological one.
