Cytopathology

Cytopathology is the use of specialist diagnostic techniques to examine individual cells extracted from tissues to determine the cause and nature of a disease. Cell samples may be gathered during routine diagnostic tests, such as bronchoscopy and cystoscopy. Specific tests, such as the Papanicolaou test, also known as the Pap test or fine-needle aspiration, can be used to gather cells from specific sites for
diagnosis.
Analysis of cell samples is often a rapid process, but requires specialist training to correctly identify cells that pose potential danger to a patient, such as pre-cancerous, cancerous or infected cells. This is the job of a trained cytopathologist; a medical doctor who has undergone additional training to correctly review and interpret the results from cytopathology tests. The first test developed in the field of cytopathology was the Pap test. It is widely considered to be the most successful screening test in medical history, and remains a vital part of modern cytopathology.

Cytopathology has since played a key role in clinical diagnosis of cancerous and precancerous disease states, benign tumors, and some infectious diseases. The field now encompasses a wide range of techniques for a variety of tissues.