Clinical Cytology in Oto-Rhino-Laryngology Exfoliative Cytology of Bronchial Secretions and Sputum

Abstract

Exfoliative cytology is defined as microscopic examination of cells, which have been desquamated—exfoliated—from mucous membranes and tumors and can be found in various body fluids. Malignant cells in the sputum are always an indication for chest radiography and bronchoscopy. If the suspected tumor is located in the periphery of the lung and therefore not accessible to biopsy or not visible to the bronchoscopist, the bronchial secretions are also examined for cancer cells. Aspirated material is mixed with 96% alcohol, centrifuged, smeared on slides and treated according to the Papanicolaou staining procedure.

The author has examined 58 cases of bronchiogenic carcinoma cytologically, 7% of which were negative, 12% suspect positive and 81% cancer positive. A better result was obtained by examination of sputum than of bronchial secretions. Exfoliative cytology cannot be regarded as safe as biopsy with histopathological diagnosis, but is a valuable complement to our conventional methods in establishing the diagnosis of carcinoma of the lung.