Indian Journal of Pathology and Oncology 2021;8(2):320–326
Content available at: https://www.ipinnovative.com/open-access-journals
Indian Journal of Pathology and Oncology
Journal homepage: www.ijpo.co.in
Original Research Article
Role of imprint cytology in the diagnosis of ovarian neoplasms
Archana Shivamurthy
1,
*, Padmapriya Jaiprakash
2
1
Dept. of Pathology, JSS Medical College, Mysore, Karnataka, India
2
Dept. of Pathology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Manipal, Karnataka
ARTICLE INFO
Article history:
Received 19-06-2021
Accepted 30-06-2021
Available online 12-08-2021
Keywords:
Imprint
Cytology
Ovary
Tumors
ABSTRACT
Primary ovarian neoplasms constitute a heterogenous group of benign and malignant tumors of epithelial,
sex cord–stromal, mesenchymal and germ cell origin. Secondary tumors constitute a minority. The
management of benign and malignant ovarian neoplasms varies and it is here that imprint cytology plays
a crucial role in diagnosis. It provides a rapid intraoperative diagnosis which will decide further treatment
course for the patient. Imprint cytology of ovarian neoplasms is simple, inexpensive, challenging and
provides a rapid diagnosis with excellent cellular details. The aim of the present study is to determine the
role of imprint cytology in the diagnosis of ovarian neoplasms. A retrospective study was conducted in the
department of pathology. A total of 53 cases were included in the study. In 48 cases, the imprint cytology
findings correlated with the histopathological diagnosis. 5 cases did not correlate. Epithelial ovarian tumors
accounted for the majority, (85%) followed by germ cell tumors (9.4%) and sex cord stromal tumors (5.6%).
The sensitivity and specificity were 93.75% and 100% respectively. Thus imprint cytology is an effective
cytological method in the diagnosis of ovarian neoplasms. Knowledge of specific cytological features for
each tumor type helps in accurate diagnosis which in turn is valuable in immediate appropriate treatment
and management of patients with benign or malignant neoplasms.
This is an Open Access (OA) journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon
the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under
the identical terms.
For reprints contact: reprint@ipinnovative.com
1. Introduction
Ovarian neoplasms are a diverse group of tumors
which exhibit a spectrum of morphological characteristics,
clinical manifestations, genetic alterations, and tumor
behaviors. This high degree of variability presents a
major challenge in both diagnosis and treatment. Imprint
cytology provides a rapid intraoperative diagnosis which
will decide further treatment course for the patient.
1–5
It is a simple, inexpensive, challenging and provides a
rapid diagnosis with excellent cellular details. Knowledge
of both cytological and histopathological features plays
a crucial role in accurate diagnosis, which in turn
affects patient management. An accurate final histological
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: archana_018@yahoo.co.in (A. Shivamurthy).
diagnosis is important owing to the major differences in
incidence, tumor behavior and clinical outcome between
each histologic subtype.
6–11
Hence the aim of the present
study is to determine the role of imprint cytology in the
diagnosis of ovarian neoplasms
2. Materials and Methods
A retrospective study was conducted at the department of
pathology from January 2011 to December 2015 for a period
of five years. A total of 53 cases were included in the
study. Imprint cytology smears stained with hematoxylin
and eosin (H & E) were reviewed along with respective
frozen sections and routine histopathology slides. Imprint
cytology slides and scrape smears were made immediately
from representative solid areas on cut section of the ovarian
https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijpo.2021.064
2394-6784/© 2021 Innovative Publication, All rights reserved. 320