title: Use of a mucolytic agent (Cytoclair) in the preparation of cell material for the detection of malignant cells in sputum.
abstract: A mucolytic agent, methyl cysteine HC1 (Cytoclair), has been used to obtain a centrifuged cell deposit for the detection of malignant cells in sputum. In 178 sputum samples from 52 patients with primary lung cancer there was a slightly higher rate of detection with the mucolytic method than with the routine method: 54 positives from 27 patients compared with 48 positives from 24 patients. Morphological studies using the mucolytic agent indicated that a millipore filter with fixation of cells in suspension produces a satisfactory cell preparation and is valuable in certain problem cases.
mesh_terms: D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D005100:Expectorants; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008722:Methods; D013183:Sputum / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D005100:Expectorants; D003545:Cysteine; C017507:mecysteine