1989 Volume 28 Issue 3 Pages 389-393
Cells in breast secretion were observed in 11 cases of breast cancer and eight cases of intraductal papilloma obtained by both a cell concentration method and a direct smear method. With the cell concentration method, nipple discharge was collected for sequential three or five days into a glass tube filled with a fixative.
The results were as follows:
1. The cell concentration method yielded a striking increase in the number of cell clusters on smears six times as many as the direct method did.
2. Background of the smears such as red blood cells was more conspicuous in the specimens obtained by the cell concentration method than with the direct method.
3. No significant difference was observed in cellular feature except for nuclear diameter between the two methods.
4. The mean size of the longest axis of nuclei of cells on smears prepared with the cell concentration method was 0.5μ shorter than that prepared with the direct method.
The results show that the cell concentration method is very useful for cytologic diagnosis of nipple discharge, because of obtaining adequate number of cells for detecting atypical cells on smears.
