Cytologic evaluation of Papanicolaou-stained bone marrow aspirates.

Aspirates obtained from bone marrow were prepared for routine Papanicolaou staining and screened by a cytologist. As a preliminary study, 100 consecutive bone marrow aspirations were examined. It was shown that metastatic carcinoma and primary bone marrow disorders (including leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and multiple myeloma) can be recognized on Papanicolaou-stained marrow aspirates using the same cytologic criteria employed in the evaluation of cells from any site. Evaluation of bone marrow aspirates in the cytology laboratory is feasible and can be used to augment parallel services employing air-dried Wright-Giemsa-stained specimens in the hematology laboratory.