Cytology

The study of individual cells. Cytology’s main use in medicine is to detect abnormal cells. It is widely used to screen for cancer (as in the cervical smear test) or to confirm a diagnosis of cancer, and increasingly in antenatal screening for certain fetal abnormalities (using amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling to obtain the sample of cells). Examination of cells in a sample of fluid also helps to determine the cause of conditions such as pleural effusion and ascites. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy of internal organs also involves cytology.