[Cytodiagnosis of colorectal precancers and cancer]

In this study, 244 samples from 206 patients with precancer and cancer of the large intestines and rectum have been investigated. The material was divided into 4 groups: non specific inflammatory diseases, ulcerative colitis, adenomas and cancer. All patients were examined endoscopically (rectoscopy and coloscopy), and purposeful biopsies under a visual control have been performed. From the bioptic material and the totally extirpated adenomas, whether endoscopically or surgically, imprints for cytologic investigations and histologic preparations have been made. For the cell imprints a panoptic staining after Pappenheim was used. The comparison of the endoscopic, histomorphologic and cytologic data demonstrated the considerable possibilities of the cytologic method. The latter was particularly effective for the establishment of the cell atypia and the diagnosis of the early forms of cancer respectively. In 95.1 per cent of the neoplasm cases (n = 123), the cytologic method has given a true response. The method was also useful for the typifying of adenomas and neoplasms. The greatest possibilities for early detection and typifying of colorectal neoplasms were offered by the combination of the cytologic and histologic investigations, the so-called "cyto-histology".