Like many types of medical tests, a cytology test can give a false negative or false positive result. Additionally, in some cases, tissue biopsies can be more accurate than cytology tests.
The disadvantage is that cytology tests don't always provide as much information as a biopsy. But in many cases a cytology test may be just as helpful.
What Is Cytology?
Cytology (also known as cytopathology) involves examining cells from bodily tissues or fluids to determine a diagnosis What Kinds of Cytology Are there?
There are two main kinds, or branches, of cytology: exfoliative cytology and intervention cytology What Is Exfoliative Cytology?
Exfoliative cytology is a branch of cytology in which the cells that a pathologist examines are either “shed” by your body naturally or are manually scraped or What Is Intervention Cytology?
Intervention cytology is a branch of cytology in which your healthcare provider has to “intervene” with your body to get a sample of cells to test When Is Cytology used?
Healthcare providers and pathologists most commonly use cytology to diagnose or screen for cancer Who Performs A Cytology Test?
Depending on the type of cytology test, many types of healthcare providers could collect the sample of cells. For example