Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
Cell Block Preparation from Cytology Specimen with Predominance of Individually Scattered Cells
Published on: July 21, 2009
BD SurePath Direct to Slide (DTS) cervical cytology: Migrating the benefits of liquid-based cytology to low-resource
Douglas P Malinowski1, Ryan Callaghan1, Clark Whitehead1
1Becton, Dickinson and Company, BD Life Sciences-Integrated Diagnostic Solutions, Sparks, MD, US.
Objectives:
The benefits of liquid-based cytology (LBC) in routine cervical cancer screening are often associated with the availability of instrumented platforms and economic considerations. A low-cost alternative to LBC in low-volume settings remains an unmet need.
Methods:
A multisite evaluation of the BD SurePath (SurePath) LBC Direct to Slide (DTS) method was conducted. The DTS preparations were evaluated across 3 sites. Cytology features for DTS preparation included predetermined thresholds for total cellularity, cell distribution, cellular preservation, and stain quality. Rare event detection was evaluated using SiHa cells spiked into pools from negative cytology specimens. Concordance between Bethesda classification results was evaluated for SurePath LBC and DTS methods using routinely collected SurePath specimens in a split-sample study design.
Results:
The DTS specimens met criteria for total cellularity, cell distribution, cellular preservation, and stain quality in more than 98% of all cases. Rare event detection was observed with an average detection of 5 SiHa cells per 2 mL of specimen. Concordant cervical cytology classifications were observed between SurePath LBC and DTS methods.
Conclusions:
The results demonstrate that the DTS process is suitable for routine cervical cytology evaluation. The procedure is reproducible and detected abnormal cervical cells in concordance with standard SurePath LBC preparation.
