Detection of gynecological cancer; use of fluorescence microscopy to show nucleic acids in malignant growth

Abstract

Early detection of malignant lesions of the cervix, a major problem in gynecology, has been made possible in more cases by the development of exfoliative cytology. Mass-screening programs have been impeded, however, by the demands on time and skill of the examiner as posed by conventional techniques.A new method in exfoliative cytology, using fluorescence microscopy, essentially reduces the time of processing as well as of scanning of specimens. Suspicious cells show flaming orange-red fluorescence of the cytoplasm on a black background, impressively distinct from normal cells and giving a warning signal to the examiner. This color reaction is based upon cytochemical changes-namely, the abundance of ribonucleic acid in vividly growing and especially malignant cells.Besides gynecological material, the method is applicable to other forms of malignant disease.