What is cytology?

Cytology (also known as cytopathology) involves examining cells from bodily tissues or fluids to determine a diagnosis. A certain kind of physician, called a pathologist, will look at the cells in the tissue sample under a microscope and look for characteristics or abnormalities in the cells. Since cytology only examines cells, which are so tiny, pathologists only need a very small sample of tissue to do a cytology test.

Healthcare providers use cytology in many different areas of medicine, but cytology tests are most commonly used to screen for or diagnose cancer.

Who performs a cytology test?

Depending on the type of cytology test, many types of healthcare providers could collect the sample of cells. For example, a gynecologist may take a sample from your cervix for a Pap smear cytology test. The healthcare provider then sends the sample to a laboratory for testing. A pathologist or cytopathologist looks at the cells from the tissue sample under a microscope and determines a diagnosis, if applicable.