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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Methodology for Sputum Induction and Laboratory Processing
Published on: December 17, 2017
The diagnostic accuracy of sputum and urine cytology
1Department of Pathology, Hospital of the Good Samaritan, Los Angeles, CA 90017.
Abstract:
The diagnostic accuracies of sputum and urinary cytology were examined in series spanning more than 20 years. The sensitivity and respiratory tract cytology in 1,289 patients with subsequently proven lung cancer was 69% while that or urine cytology in 860 patients with urinary tract cancer was 77%. The specificities were 96% for lung cancer and 97% for urinary tract cancer. Neither procedure was widely used for routine screening, but diagnostic cytology played an important part in providing a definite morphologic diagnosis in many of these cases. Urinary cytology was also very effective in the follow-up of patients with treated bladder cancer because of its high sensitivity for detecting carcinoma in situ.
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