The Century for Cytopathology

By the end of the 19th century, exfoliated cancer cells had been described in all of the types of specimen in which we find them today. However, it was not until Drs. Papanicolaou and Traut published their account of the diagnosis of uterine cancer from exfoliated cells (1941 and 1943) that cytopathology acquired the momentum to develop into the powerful presence that it has in human medicine today. These and the subsequent publications by Papanicolaou stimulated the development and application of cytopathology worldwide, resulting in abundant literature on the subject and a galaxy of outstanding practitioners. The 1980s saw the development and widespread use of aspiration cytology. This was followed in the 1990s by the development of automated screening systems, marking the latest stage in the evolution of cytopathology. These and other events and achievements in cytopathology, from its meager beginnings in the early 20th century to its worldwide use and acceptance today, mark this century as the "century for cytopathology."