Endoscopic suction cytology in upper gastrointestinal tract malignancy.

In 50 cases of radiographically suspected malignancies of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the lesions were sampled by suctioning following brushing and forceps biopsy. The cytologic smears prepared from the suctioned material were positive for malignancy in 48 cases (96%), as were the biopsy specimens; the cytologic smears from the brushings were positive in 92% of the cases. All 50 cases were diagnosed as malignant by one or more of the techniques. Suction cytology detected the ulcerated and stenotic growths that biopsy failed to diagnose in two cases. Endoscopic suction cytology, which is a simple and rapid procedure, seems able to assist in diagnosing lesions of the upper GI tract.