Detection of Gastric Carcinoma by Endoscopic Imprint Cytology

Abstract

Background: This study was undertaken with the view to determine the Sensitivity, Specificity and agreement between two methods of the stained gastric and esophageal imprint cytology smears and stained gastric and esophageal endoscopic specimen biopsy for detection of gastric and esophageal carcinoma. Methods: Imprint smears of endoscopic gastric and esophageal biopsies from 272 patients were stained by Papanicolaou staining (Pap’s stain) in the endoscopy suit and examined for carcinoma, providing results within 10 minutes. The same biopsy was processed and stained with H & E, and reviewed by pathologists. Results: Two hundred and seventy-two male and female patients were studied in between 2008 to 2011. Esophageal lesions were 83 cases (30.51%) and gastric lesion were 189 cases (69.48%) cases. One hundred and twenty-two (122 i.e., 64.55%) cases of gastric carcinomas were detected by histopathology, whereas, Imprint cytology detected 124 (65.60%) cases. Conclusion: Gastric and esophageal imprint smears stained with Papanicolaou (Pap’s stain) method is a rapid and cost-effective method in addition to histopathology for detecting gastric and esophageal carcinoma in patients undergoing upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy and biopsy. It does not require an additional biopsy.