Histology & Cytology

Simply stated, histology is the study of human tissue and cytology the study of human cells. The category is broad and covers a wide range of diagnostics. Generally, the items of concern in this category will be that equipment used for testing of tissues and cells, covers the following formats: tissue arrays, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization testing ( ISH ). One of the most common histology tests, indeed the bread and butter of histology/cytology is a pap smear, used to indicate the presence of HPV which is an indicator of cervical cancer.

Although there is some thought that HPV vaccines may erase the need for the pap smear test in the future, this is a difficult prediction to support. Instead, it is expected that innovations in histology testing will continue. New molecular methods such as florescence ISH testing ( FISH ) are common and new tests continue to be developed.