[Cytological diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma]

Because of increase of endometrial carcinoma the frequency rate of invasive cervix carcinoma and carcinoma of uterine corpus has been changing in the last ten years and at several places in the world it is approaching 1:1. That shows the importance of early detection of endometrial carcinoma. A summary of cytology diagnostic of normal and pathological endometrium is given. Especially it is pointed to the great difference between the cytomorphical cell criteria of endometrial malignancies dependent on the differentiation grade of endometrial carcinoma. The predominance of cell atypia is found by the undifferentiated carcinoma of uterine corpus whereas the cells of frequently found well differentiated endometrial carcinoma often cannot be differentiated from normal endometrium cells. The observation of cells of endometrial carcinoma in normal cellular samples of cervix and vagina is no more than 60--70 percent; at this rate the endocervical aspiration has the greatest chance of detection. To correct the early cellular diagnosis of uterine carcinoma the appearance of normal endometrium cells by screening must be noticed and each finding at an untypical moment, for example in postmenopause, must be an alarm signal. The different intrauterine aspiration techniques obtained more than 90 percent accuracy in the detection of endometrial carcinoma. This method is qualified for special indications in a limited number of cases.