title: Liquid-based cytology in breast fine needle aspiration. Comparison with the conventional smear.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the various cytologic features on AutoCyte Prep (ACP) (AutoCyte, Inc., Burlington, North Carolina, U.S.A.) and conventional preparation (CP) specimens from breast fine needle aspiration cytology material with a semi-quantitative scoring system.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 100 randomized cases were studied. In each case, 2 passes were performed. One pass was used for CPs (Giemsa and Papanicolaou stain). The other pass produced material for the ACP technique and Papanicolaou stain. Both the conventional and liquid-based preparations were studied independently by two observers and compared for cellularity, obscuring and/or informing background, representative diagnostic material, preservation of cytomorphologic features, presence of monolayer cells and architectural arrangement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing the two preparations, the results were as follows: (1) ACP was superior to CP in 2 features, lack of obscuring background and presence of monolayer arrangement with preservation of cell architecture; (2) ACP was inferior to CP in 1 feature, lack of informing background; and (3) ACP was equal, with small deviations, to CP in the rest of the features evaluated: cellularity, representative diagnostic material, preservation of cell morphology and architectural arrangement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The new technology of liquid-based cytology in breast FNA showed a good correlation with CP plus the advantages of: (1) easier and less time consuming evaluation of cell morphology (clear background, no overlapping, smaller area to screen); (2) reproducibility, a factor of great importance to quality control; and (3) possibility of adjunctive investigations (immunocytology, flow cytometry) on the same material.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytology, LITO Hospital for Women, 7-13 Mousson Street, GR-115 24 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Smaragda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Veneti
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Daskalopoulou
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zervoudis
authors.forename: Evangelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papasotiriou
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ioannidou-Mouzaka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001707:Biopsy, Needle / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008867:Microtomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results