title: The State of Cell Blocks and Ancillary Testing: Past, Present, and Future.
abstract: Cell blocks are an integral part of cytology, but their utility is recognized probably more now than ever before, largely owing to the significant role they play in ancillary testing, particularly molecular diagnostics. Modifications to improve the cell block method initially introduced more than a century ago have been made over the years. Though their value is acknowledged and they are widely used across laboratories, cell block preparations are not standardized and results of ancillary testing performed on them are inconsistent. This article reviews the state of cell blocks-summarizes the more common, currently available and used methods and their corresponding advantages and shortcomings, outlines the role of alternative techniques (eg, smears), and proposes methods to optimize results.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Anjali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saqi
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis / Q000639:trends; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000639:trends; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000639:trends; D016707:Tissue Fixation / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins