When does a doctor order for urine cytology to be done and what is it good for?

Doctor's Answers 2

Urine cytology is useful for patients on surveillance after treatment of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract (e.g. urethra, bladder, ureters, renal pelvis). This is when the urine is sent to the laboratory to be looked under a microscope to detect cancer cells.

High-grade transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and carcinoma-in-situ of the urinary tract is known to shed these cancer/carcinoma cells into the urine and these abnormal cells will be picked up when the urine sample is sent for cytology.

However, a negative urine cytology result does not rule out cancer of the urinary tract completely as low-grade TCC do not shed cells into the urine.

When a urinary cytology is positive and the cause of it is not evident, this would necessitate further work-up. This would include endoscopic procedures (i.e. scopes) to look at the lining of the urinary tract, referred to as the urothelium. Scopes can be performed from the urethra all the way up into the bladder and into both ureters and both renal pelvis to look for any suspicious-looking tumours.

Photo of Dr Jipson Quah
Dr Jipson Quah

General Practitioner

The main purpose of urine cytology is to detect high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) of the urinary tract.

The Paris System (TPS) Working Group, composed of cytopathologists, surgical pathologists, and urologists, published a standardised reporting system that includes specific diagnostic categories and cytomorphologic criteria for the reliable diagnosis of HGUC.

Urologists depend on cytology to support the routine radiographic and endoscopic evaluation of the urinary tract to ensure that a potentially life-threatening urothelial malignancy is reliably detected, which include HGUC or carcinoma in situ.

Please see your urologist to discuss the management and the pathology findings in the urine cytology report.

Similar Questions

How does a urine cytology help to detect urinary tract cancers?

Urine cytology is the examination of urothelial cells under the microscope. This allows assessing the cellular nature of the urothelial cells. We study the nuclear and cytoplasmic features which may suggest a urothelial malignancy. Voided urinary cytology is recommended in all patients who have risk factors for urothelial carcinoma. The sensitivity of voided urine cytology for detection of urothelial neoplasm ranges from 18% to 76% and is dependent on factors such as tumor grade, the number of specimens examined, and the expertise of the cytopathologist.

Photo of Dr Jipson Quah

Answered By

Dr Jipson Quah

General Practitioner

What are the most common causes of dysuria (pain on passing urine)?

The most common cause of dysuria is a urinary tract infection, especially in young females. This is often associated with increased frequency and urgency of passing urine. This is sometimes accompanied with fever, cloudy smelly urine or visible blood in the urine. This is usually easily treated with a short course of antibiotics. Vaginal infections such as from yeast can also cause dysuria. Sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea, chlamydia or herpes also cause dysuria, and can be accompanied by genital itching and abnormal discharge from the urethra (men) or vagina.

Photo of Human

Answered By

Human

Ask any health question for free

I’m not so sure about a procedure...

Ask Icon Ask a Question

Join Human

Sign up now for a free Human account to get answers from specialists in Singapore.

Sign Up

Get The Pill

Be healthier with our Bite-sized health news straight in your inbox