Liquid Based Cytology
Advantages of Liquid Based Cytology over classical cytology:
It increases the detection of premalignant squamous cell as well as glandular lesions (depending on the severity of the degree of dysplasia, it is a 2 to 4-fold increase in sensitivity with unrestricted detection specificity), which means a safer and more accurate diagnosis for both doctor and patient.
It increases the number of swabs with endocervical cells present, ie it increases the representativeness of the harvested material. The unrepresentativeness of conventional swabs, due to the absence of endocervical cells, is a relatively common cause of re-examination, which means fewer re-examinations due to inherent errors.
Thanks to the possibility of examining several preparations from the same sample, it is possible to indicate immunocytochemical examinations and use markers p16, Ki67 to determine the nature of the proliferative process on the examined cells and predict its prognosis towards malignancy or benignity.
Thanks to the use of a combination of LBC methods and immunocytochemistry, high proliferative activity in dysplasian precancerous cells is well visible
It ensures an extremely low incidence of unreadable or suboptimally readable swabs. Insufficient swab quality in classical cytology requires, under certain circumstances, a repeat examination.
Parallel examinations from one sample: Liquid Based Cytology allows examination of HPV infection, Chlamydia, HSV (Herpes simplex virus), Neisseria gonorrhoeae from a single sample: repeated patient visits to the doctor are not necessary.
It is the basis for standardized computer-assisted cytology.