Liquid Based Cytology

Your healthcare provider collects the sample of cells from your body that they need a pathologist to examine. Some of the ways a provider can collect cytology test samples include:
Brushing or scraping tissue from the surface of a part of your body.
Collecting fluid or discharge samples from your body, such as a pee sample.
Using fine-needle aspiration to draw a fluid sample from an area in your body.
Processing the sample cells

For some types of cytology tests that involve tissue samples, the healthcare provider who took the sample smears or spreads it on glass microscope slides. These slides are known as smears. They then send the smears to a pathology laboratory.
If the cytology test involves bodily fluid, the healthcare provider most likely won't be able to use smears since the sample is too diluted (there are only a few cells in the fluid). They'll most likely send the sample to a pathology lab in a small container.

Once a cytology sample arrives at the laboratory, a pathologist or lab technician dips the smears in certain stains (colored dyes) depending on what kind of sample it is. The stains help make the cells easier to see and examine under a microscope.
If the cytology sample is a fluid, a pathologist or lab technician may use a machine called a centrifuge to separate the cells they want to examine from the fluid. A centrifuge separates certain cells from fluid by spinning the sample very quickly. The pathologist then puts the cells on smears and may stain them.

After a pathologist or lab technician processes and stains the cytology samples, they examine the cells under a microscope, looking for abnormal cells. If they find abnormal cells, they mark them on the slides with a special pen. A pathologist then makes a diagnosis based on the cells and puts together a report.

After they put together a report, the pathologist will send it to your healthcare provider. Your provider will go over the results with you and determine the next steps.

Cervical cancer, although nearly 100% preventable, remains one of the most common cancers and causes of cancer-related deaths in women across the globe – especially in low-and middle-income countries.

Over the years, the world has experienced a transition from conventional or liquid based cytology based screening programs to a molecular based screening program also known as primary HPV screening. This new screening method improves existing or newly implemented screening programs with a more sensitive way of testing and therefore identifies women earlier who may have an increased risk of developing cervical cancer.

However, the majority of cervical cancer cases are found in women who are unscreened or underscreened. There are many reasons women cannot or do not participate in a cervical cancer screening program – and Roche is addressing some of these barriers by expanding its portfolio offering to include a claim for self-sampling.

HPV Self Sampling provides women around the world an opportunity to participate in screening programs by collecting their own specimens, following detailed collection instructions provided by a healthcare worker. Depending on local regulations, this may require for example a visit to a local clinic or a healthcare worker visiting remote areas where they explains the self-sampling procedure.
Despite their geographic location or their access to screening programs, some women are more likely to participate in HPV screening when given the option to collect their sample in a private setting.

The Roche Cervical Cancer Portfolio performs with multiple media types, including Roche Cell Collection Medium. Roche Cell Collection Medium is a liquid-based cytology collection solution that provides long-term stability for cervical specimens including vaginal specimens that are collected via self-collection. It is designed for the preservation and transport of cells to be used in molecular testing and/or the preparation of cytology slides, supporting the entire cervical cancer screening workflow.

Roche Cell Collection Medium is designed for the preservation and transport of cells to be used in molecular testing and/or for the preparation of cytology slides.
Roche Cell Collection Medium with Brush
Systems Compatibility
Roche Cell Collection Medium can be used with the following Roche systems & Assays according to the Roche product Instructions for Use and the Roche