A correlative study of histology and imprint cytology of gastric mucosa biopsy in the diagnosis gastric cancer.

The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of gastric mucosa imprint cytology in detecting stomach cancer. Analyzed were 364 cytological and pathohistiological samples taken from 335 patients having suspected diagnosis of gastric cancer. Every specimen was submitted to slide imprinting and then fixed in formalin for further processing with routine histopathology. The imprints were air dried for cytological analysis, stained according to May-Grünwald-Giemsa and analyzed by light microscope. By pathohistological punch-biopsy samples analysis stomach cancer was found in 45 samples. With cytological samples analysis the cancer was detected in 48 samples and 13 cytological samples were suspected of cancer With combining these two methods cancer was found in 68 cases. Patients with positive cytological finding and negative pathohistologic finding underwent gastroscopy with punch-biopsy. All patients with positive pathohistological findings were operated. All materials were histologically examined. Cancer was found in 68 patients. Cytological analysis of stomach mucosa bioptic material imprints, increases the number of positive findings in preoperative stage of gastric cancer diagnosis. The greatest advantage of this method is short period for preparation of material, simplicity and low price. Every data on morphological changes in mucosa has been also pathohistologically checked, because taking imprints does not damage the specimen.