Cytological detection of atypical cells by routine urinalysis in a cardiovascular center

During the past 9 yr, 187,529 Sternheimer-Malbin-stained urinary sediments were examined as routine urinalysis specimens from patients attending the National Cardiovascular Center in Osaka, Japan. Abnormal cells were found in 20 patients who did not have clinical diagnoses of malignancy. Malignant cytological changes in 18 patients resulted in a rate of 1 case in 6,751 patients; the two remaining specimens with abnormal cells showed polyomavirus infection. This article describes our experience in the diagnosis of malignant cells of the urinary tract through the cooperation of the clinical and cytological laboratories. Since in Japan, the rate of death for bladder cancer is similar to 1 in 6,751, this method seems to be of great use in the diagnosis of urinary tract malignancies.