Cytological

Cytological is an adjective relating to cytology, the branch of biology and medicine that studies cells, their structure, function, chemistry, and pathology. In practice, cytology is used both for basic scientific investigations and for clinical diagnosis, often by examining cells collected from a patient.

The field employs a range of techniques to visualize and analyze cells. Common methods include light microscopy with various stains (such as Papanicolaou and Giemsa), cytochemistry, immunocytochemistry, and, in some cases, electron microscopy. Modern cytology also utilizes cytogenetic and molecular approaches to assess cellular genetics and biomarkers. Cytology is closely integrated with histology, but it concentrates on isolated cells or small clusters rather than intact tissue architecture.

Specimen types and applications are diverse. Exfoliative cytology collects shed or surface cells, as in Pap smears or urine cytology. Aspiration cytology uses fine-needle aspiration to sample cells from a lump or organ. Other sources include body fluids (cerebrospinal, pleural, ascitic), strokes, and imprint or touch preparations. Clinically, cytology is employed for cancer screening and diagnosis (for example, cervical cancer screening, thyroid and breast lesions), evaluation of effusions and infectious or inflammatory processes, and assessment of sample adequacy for further testing.

Professionals in the field include cytotechnologists and cytopathologists who prepare slides and provide diagnostic interpretations. Cytology emphasizes cellular morphology and individual cell features, complementing histology’s focus on tissue architecture. The discipline has applications across human and veterinary medicine and continues to expand with advances in molecular cytology and diagnostic algorithms.