Evaluation and Management of Clinically Unconfirmed Positive Urine Cytology

, Seock Hwan Choi; , Tae Gyun Kwon

Review Article

The Korean Journal of Urological Oncology 2012;10(3):107-112.
Published online December 30, 2012.

임상적으로 확인되지 않는 양성 요세포검사의 대처법

최석환, 권태균

경북대학교 의과대학 비뇨기과학교실

Evaluation and Management of Clinically Unconfirmed Positive Urine Cytology

Seock Hwan Choi , Tae Gyun Kwon

Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea

Correspondence: Tae Gyun Kwon

Abstract

Urine cytology is one of the key screening and surveillance methods in the management of patients with urothelial tumors. Urine cytology usually shows high specificity and low sensitivity. Therefore, positive cytology is generally considered as a precursor of the urothelial malignancy even if there is no clinical confirmation. Clinically unconfirmed positive urine cytology refers to the condition that the result of urine cytology is repeatedly positive but the malignancy cannot be identified with the imaging study or cystoscopy. Based upon current reports, most patients with clinically unconfirmed positive urine cytology will eventually be identified with the recognizable tumors. In the present study cohort, the most common site of malignancy was the bladder. In this article, we address the systematic approach to evaluation and management of clinically unconfirmed positive urine cytology with the literature review. (Korean J Urol Oncol 2012;10:107-112)

Key Words: Urine cytology, Urothelial cancer, Follow-up studies