I’m recovering from a severe fungal bladder infection and am on day 8 of Diflucan. The urologist’s office just called to tell me that they cytology they did on my urine was clear. I wasn’t on the ball enough to get a full explanation…maybe someone can enlighten me?
Medical advice is best suited to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Well, cytology is the study of cells, so I suppose what they saying is that they are not seeing any cells that shouldn’t be in your urine, in particular, cells of the fungus you were infected with, which is good. It does seem a bit of an odd way to put it, especially to a patient, but it sounds like you are cured. Generally speaking, I do not think there are supposed to any cells at all in your urine, although I dare say that even in a fully healthy person, one or two of their own cells might turn up there occasionally, sloughed off from the bladder or urethral walls.
What “your cytology was clear” should mean is that there were no atypical or malignant cells on a preparation examined by a pathologist.
If there is a reason (like infection) that readily explains symptoms, scant suspicion of tumor and the symptoms(s) clear up with use of the antifungal drug, then that might be the end of the problem (depending on what your doc says).
As far as urine cytology in general goes - there are normally a certain number of detached cells from the urinary tract and tissues around the urethra that wind up in urine. Urine cytology is reliable at detecting high grade malignant cells from a tumor in the bladder, but is not very sensitive when it comes to finding tumor cells from a low grade malignancy like many papillary tumors. There is molecular testing used along with cytology to improve detection, usually in patients with a history of bladder cancer who need long-term monitoring.
It sounds like the OP shouldn’t be worrying about cancer, but this is something best discussed with her physician.
Jackmannii M.D., pathologist.
Aaah, that helps. I will be seeing my urologist again in 4 weeks and will have a follow-up cysto then. I didn’t even know they were doing cytology (maybe it’s standard?) so wasn’t expecting a call about it.
He did say that he wants to do the second cysto to check for anything that may be suspicious or need to be biopsied. I think my bladder was so inflamed the first time he looked that the inflammation was all that was very apparent.