Optimizing Endoscopic Respiratory Diagnostics with Cytology: An Update on Touch Imprints with a Comparative...

Area of Science:

• Pathology
• Oncology
• Cytology

Background:

• The 2015 WHO Classification emphasized lung cancer diagnosis in small biopsies.
• Touch imprints offer rapid, minimally invasive morphological and molecular analysis.
• Limited biopsy material presents diagnostic challenges in pathology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of touch imprints and histology in small lung biopsies.
• To compare the effectiveness of combined cytologic-histologic evaluation versus individual methods.
• To assess diagnostic accuracy in endoscopic versus surgical settings.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 717 patients with suspicious tumor findings.
• 1363 cytological samples from 986 biopsies (endoscopic and surgical) were analyzed.
• Cytological findings were compared with histological diagnoses for therapy determination.

Main Results:

• In endoscopic biopsies, combined cytology-histology sensitivity reached 94.6%, an 8% improvement over individual methods.
• In surgical biopsies, histology combined with touch imprints achieved 96.4% sensitivity.
• Touch imprints alone showed 82.1% sensitivity in endoscopic and 75.9% in surgical settings.

Conclusions:

• Cytology and histology demonstrate high sensitivity and specificity in small lung biopsies.
• A combined cytologic-histologic approach significantly enhances diagnostic sensitivity, particularly in endoscopic procedures.
• Accurate interpretation of touch imprints is vital for cytologists to avoid misinterpretation and ensure optimal patient management.