Application of The Paris System to atypical urine cytology samples: correlation with histology and UroVysion® FISH

Application of The Paris System in neobladder washing cytology: Comparison between the original diagnosis and correlation with histopathology

BACKGROUND

In urinary diversion after radical cystectomy, the incidence of recurrent urothelial carcinoma (UC) in upper urinary tract or urethra are reported in 2%-17% of the patients. Urine cytology plays a pivotal role in detecting the recurrence of UC. However, cytologic diagnosis in urinary diversion including neobladder is often challenging due to significant degenerative changes and necro-inflammatory background. Since the proposal of The Paris System (TPS) for reporting cytology, the utility of TPS in urinary diversion specimen has not been studied yet. The objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of TPS compared with the original diagnosis and correlate with the matched histopathological results.

METHODS

Urinary diversion cytology specimens with concurrent or subsequent biopsy or resection at EUMC in recent 16 years (from January 2002 to December 2018) are retrospectively reviewed and reclassified according to TPS criteria. The TPS categories and the original diagnoses were compared and correlated with follow-up histology.

RESULTS

Concurrent or subsequent biopsy or resection within a 6-month period was available in 45 cases from 28 patients. When applying TPS, the rate of atypical and suspicious categories decreased by 13.4% and 11.1%. Using TPS increased the value of sensitivity, NPV, and accuracy to 93.75%, 93.75%, and 90.91%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Application of TPS reduced the rate of indeterminate diagnoses and moreover, improved the sensitivity and accuracy of urinary diversion cytology. Therefore, we believe that diversion urine cytology diagnosis according to TPS is useful to screen patients for detection of recurrence in routine clinical practice.

Examining longitudinal markers of bladder cancer recurrence through a semiautonomous machine learning system for quantifying specimen atypia from urine cytology

BACKGROUND

Urine cytology is generally considered the primary approach for screening for recurrence of bladder cancer. However, it is currently unclear how best to use cytological examinations for assessment and early detection of recurrence, beyond identifying a positive finding that requires more invasive methods to confirm recurrence and decide on therapeutic options. Because screening programs are frequent, and can be burdensome, finding quantitative means to reduce this burden for patients, cytopathologists, and urologists is an important endeavor and can improve both the efficiency and reliability of findings. Additionally, identifying ways to risk-stratify patients is crucial for improving quality of life while reducing the risk of future recurrence or progression of the cancer.

METHODS

In this study, a computational machine learning tool, AutoParis-X, was leveraged to extract imaging features from urine cytology examinations longitudinally to study the predictive potential of urine cytology for assessing recurrence risk. This study examined how the significance of imaging predictors changes over time before and after surgery to determine which predictors and time periods are most relevant for assessing recurrence risk.

RESULTS

Results indicate that imaging predictors extracted using AutoParis-X can predict recurrence as well or better than traditional cytological/histological assessments alone and that the predictiveness of these features is variable across time, with key differences in overall specimen atypia identified immediately before tumor recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research will clarify how computational methods can be effectively used in high-volume screening programs to improve recurrence detection and complement traditional modes of assessment.

Atypical urothelial cells classified according to the Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology: A 2-year experience with histological correlation from a Finnish tertiary care center-low rate and high risk of malignancy

BACKGROUND

The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPS) was issued to shift the focus of urine cytology to high-grade lesions to increase the diagnostic accuracy of urine cytology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the power of TPS in the atypical urothelial cells (AUC) category with histological correlation and follow-up.

METHODS

The data cohort consisted of 3741 voided urine samples collected during a 2-year period between January 2017 and December 2018. All samples were prospectively classified using TPS. This study focuses on the subset of 205 samples (5.5%) classified as AUC. All cytological and histological follow-up data were analyzed until 2019, and the time between each sampling was documented.

RESULTS

Of the 205 AUC cases, cytohistological correlation was possible in 97 (47.3%) cases. Of these, 36 (12.7%) were benign in histology, 27 (13.2%) were low-grade urothelial carcinomas, and 34 (16.6%) were high-grade urothelial carcinomas. Overall, the risk of malignancy was 29.8% for all cases in the AUC category, and 62.9% in the histologically confirmed cases. The risk of high-grade malignancy was 16.6% in all the AUC category samples and 35.1% in the histological follow-up group.

CONCLUSIONS

The performance of 5.5% AUC cases is considered good and within the limits proposed by TPS. TPS is widely accepted by cytotechnologists, cytopathologists, and clinicians; it improves communication and patient management.

Urine cytology in patients with gender confirmation surgery and hormone therapy: evaluation of urine cytology performance in an underserved patient population

INTRODUCTION

There is a practice gap and educational need regarding urine cytology (UC) performance in patients with history of gender confirmation surgery (GCS) and/or hormone therapy (HT). This potentially impacts diagnostic accuracy in this medically underserved population. We report a methodology that identifies relevant cases and evaluates the performance of UC in this cohort.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two institutional pathology archives from 2000 to 2021 were searched using relevant keywords to identify UC specimens from patients with GCS and/or HT for this retrospective study. For each specimen, patient demographics, relevant clinical history, and history of HT and/or GCS were noted. Each case was blindly reviewed by a cytopathologist according to The Paris System.

RESULTS

A total of 32 UC specimens from 15 patients with history of GCS and/or HT were identified. There were 13 male to female and 2 female to male transgender patients. The original diagnosis was negative for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (NHGUC) in 24 of 32 (75%) and atypical urothelial cells (AUC) in 8 of 32 (25%) cases. The most common atypical features were irregular nuclear membranes and prominent small nucleoli in 7 of 8 (87.5%). Degenerative changes were present in 5 of 8 (62.5%). On re-review, with relevant clinical history, 100% of cases were re-classified as NHGUC.

CONCLUSIONS

The original diagnosis of AUC in these cases likely reflects reactive changes post GCS and/or HT. This cohort may be at risk of AUC overdiagnosis, particularly if the pathologist is unaware of this clinical history. Pathologists need to recognize reactive cytomorphologic changes in these patients. Further multi-institutional studies are warranted to expand knowledge about UC performance in these patients.

[How has the Paris System contributed to urine cytology? Evaluating the contribution of the Paris System to urine cytology. A comparative study of the Paris System and the Papanicolaou method in a tertiary centre]

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

The Paris System (PS) has replaced the classical Papanicolaou System (PapS) in reporting urine cytology, due to its improved sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) without loss of specificity. Furthermore, it has enabled the risk of malignancy to be established in each cytological category. The aim of this study is to compare the Paris System with previous results and determine the changes in sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, NPV and risk of malignancy in our centre, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Evaluation of the diagnostic power of urine cytology by means of a retrospective cohort study, comparing two series of 400 cytological studies, one using the Papanicolaou System and the other the Paris System.

RESULTS

In the detection of high-grade urothelial carcinoma, Paris System has better specificity (93.82% PapS vs 98.64% PS; P=.001) and PPV (39.5% PapS vs 70.6% PS; P=.044) than Papanicolaou System, without changes in sensitivity (53.5% PapS vs 37.5% PS; P=.299) or NPV (96.4% PapS vs 94.8% PS; P=.183). The risk of malignancy for the atypical category increases from low to high levels (1.6% PapS vs 40.0% PS; P=.001); the other categories showed no significant statistical changes.

CONCLUSION

The Paris System improves specificity and positive predictive value and establishes a better indication of risk of malignancy for each category, enabling specific clinical management in each case.

The Paris system classification for urinary cytology in patients under bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment

BACKGROUND

The role of urinary cytology as a diagnostic test for the detection and surveillance of urothelial cancer is crucial. Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the appropriate therapeutic strategy for patients with high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGCU) or in situ carcinoma. We investigate how applicable is the Paris System for reporting urinary cytology (TPS) and how accurate is urinary cytology, in patients who undergo intravesical BCG instillations.

METHODS

Our study contains urine samples from patients during the period January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019. The inclusion criteria were patients with history of urothelial bladder carcinoma who had been treated with intravesical BCG instillation and cytology was followed by histology. We report our results and estimate the risk of high-grade malignancy (ROHM) for each TPS category and cytology accuracy.

RESULTS

Four hundred thirty-eight samples corresponding to 146 patients fulfilled the criteria to be included in the study. There were 2 inadequate, 118 negative for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (NHGUC), 14 atypical urothelial cells (AUC), 6 suspicious for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (SHGUC), and 6 cases HGUC. Corresponding histology assessment has shown that the ROHM amounted to 0 for inadequate, 3.4% for NHGUC, 57% for AUC, 100% for SHGUC and HGUC. Sensitivity was 50%, specificity 100%, PPV 100%, NPV 91%, and accuracy 91.7%, considering inadequate, NHGUC and AUC as negative and SHGUC and HGUC as positive result. However, considering AUC a positive result, the accuracy parameters were different; sensitivity 83.3%, specificity 95%, PPV 76.9%, NPV 96.67%, and accuracy 93%.

CONCLUSION

The Paris system for reporting urinary cytology can be safely applied to patients during follow-up after BCG intravesical administration.

Digital image analysis of high-grade urothelial carcinoma in urine cytology confirms chromasia heterogeneity and reveals a subset with hypochromatic nuclei and another with extremely dark or "India ink" nuclei

BACKGROUND

The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPS) uses hyperchromasia as major diagnostic criterion for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC). The purpose of the study was to evaluate cases that were diagnosed as HGUC by TPS and determine whether there are different chromatin distribution patterns (ie, subsets).

METHODS

Digital image annotations were performed on microscopic images of HGUC urine specimens with surgical biopsy/resection follow-up. Median gray values were generated for each cell. Neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocyte [PMN]) were also enumerated in each case to serve as an internal control. A HGUC/PMN ratio was generated for each case, and the cases were distributed.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine HGUC cases yielded 2660 cells, including 2078 HGUC (30.1 cells/case) and 582 PMNs (8.4 cells/case). The average median gray value of an HGUC was 50.6 and of a PMN was 36.8 (P < .0001). Eight of 69 cases (11.6%) contained nuclei that, on average, were darker than or as dark as a PMN (extremely dark, ie, "India ink"). Fifty-one of 69 cases (74.0%) contained nuclei that, on average, were slightly brighter than a PMN (hyperchromatic). Ten of 69 cases (14.5%) contained nuclei that, on average, were much brighter than a PMN (hypochromatic). Within a single case, all cases showed heterogeneity with the hypochromatic cases showing the most dramatic effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Digital image analysis reveals that there are large variations in chromasia between cases including a subset of cases with hypochromasia and another with extremely dark or "India ink" nuclei. There was much heterogeneity of chromasia seen within a single sample.

The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology: A Meta-Analysis

The Paris System (TPS) for Reporting Urinary Cytology is a standardized, evidence-based reporting system, comprising seven diagnostic categories: nondiagnostic, negative for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (NHGUC), atypical urothelial cells (AUC), suspicious for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (SHGUC), HGUC, low-grade urothelial neoplasm (LGUN), and other malignancies. This study aimed to calculate the pooled risk of high-grade malignancy (ROHM) of each category and demonstrate the diagnostic accuracy of urine cytology reported with TPS. Four databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science) were searched. Specific inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, while data were extracted and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The pooled ROHM was 17.70% for the nondiagnostic category (95% CI, 0.0650; 0.3997), 13.04% for the NHGUC (95% CI, 0.0932; 0.1796), 38.65% for the AUC (95% CI, 0.3042; 0.4759), 12.45% for the LGUN (95% CI, 0.0431; 0.3101), 76.89 for the SHGUC (95% CI, 0.7063; 0.8216), and 91.79% for the HGUC and other malignancies (95% CI, 0.8722; 0.9482). A summary ROC curve was created and the Area Under the Curve (AUC) was 0.849, while the pooled sensitivity was 0.669 (95% CI, 0.589; 0.741) and false-positive rate was 0.101 (95% CI, 0.063; 0.158). In addition, the pooled DOR of the included studies was 21.258 (95% CI, 14.336; 31.522). TPS assigns each sample into a diagnostic category linked with a specific ROHM, guiding clinical management.

Liquid biopsy in bladder cancer: State of the art and future perspectives

Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract. Cystoscopy represents the gold standard in the diagnosis of suspicious bladder lesions. However, the procedure is invasive and burdened by pain, discomfort and infective complications. Cytology, which represents an alternative diagnostic possibility is limited by poor sensitivity. Considering the limitations of both procedures, and the necessity to perform multiple evaluations in patients who are in follow-up for bladder cancer, an improved non-invasive methodology is required in the clinical management of this disease. Liquid biopsy, e.g. the detection of clinical biomarkers in urine, represent a promising novel and non-invasive approach that could overcome those limitations and be integrated into the current clinical practice. The aim of this review is to summarize the state of the art of this approach and the latest novelties regarding detection, prognosis and surveillance of bladder cancer.

Comparison of Diagnostic Performances of Urine Cytology Before and After the Use of The Paris System Criteria: An Institutional Experience from Turkey

Background:

Urine cytology remains to be the test of choice in the detection of high-grade urothelial carcinomas (HGUC) due to its favorable sensitivity. However, a significant rate of cases is reported under atypical/indeterminate categories, which result in a decrease in its specificity. Providing standardized cytologic criteria, one of the aims of The Paris System (TPS) is to reduce the use of indeterminate diagnoses and provide a higher predictive value in these categories.

Aims:

We compared the diagnostic performances of TPS and our original reporting system, and also investigated the interobserver reproducibility of the cytologic criteria used.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 386 urine samples were reviewed retrospectively. Original cytologic diagnoses have been made using similar cytologic features proposed by TPS. All slides were recategorized after the use of the cytologic criteria as described by TPS guideline.

Results:

After TPS, specificity of the test increased from 39.6% to 63.5, sensitivity decreased from 92.5% to 88.8%, and diagnostic accuracy increased from 63.6% to 75%. The use of negative category increased threefold. Frequencies of indeterminate categories of atypical urothelial cells (AUC) and suspicious for HGUC (SHGUC) decreased by 36% and 56.5%, respectively. A subsequent detection of HGUC after AUC and SHGUC categories increased by 38% and 64%, respectively. Interobserver agreement for TPS categorization was 39%.

Conclusions:

TPS improved diagnostic accuracy of urine cytology by reducing the use of indeterminate categories, and resulted in increase in their predictive value for subsequent diagnosis of HGUC. However, reproducibility of diagnostic categories seemed to be imperfect.

UroVysion fluorescence in situ hybridization in urothelial carcinoma: a narrative review and future perspectives

The number of patients with urothelial carcinoma (UC) is high, with a corresponding demand for detecting UC easily and non-invasively. Cystoscopy and urine cytology, with widely known diagnostic accuracies, are the gold standards for identifying UC originating from the bladder. However, cystoscopy or other tests, such as ureteroscopy or retrograde pyelography, are uncomfortable for patients. Tests for urinary biomarkers are expected to satisfy the demand for less invasive tests that will benefit patients with anxiety for invasive tests such as cystoscopy or ureteroscopy. Although several urinary biomarkers have been reported to support the diagnosis or follow-up of UC, their use in the clinic is uncommon. The UroVysion test examines urinary biomarkers using a multitarget, multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay. The test uses exfoliated cells found in urine and is a mixture of centromeric fluorescent denatured chromosome enumeration probes for chromosomes 3, 7, and 17 (labelled stratum red, spectrum green and spectrum aqua, respectively), and a locus-specific identifier probe for 9p21 (spectrum gold). It is used for the initial diagnosis of patients with hematuria or the monitoring of patients previously diagnosed with bladder cancer. Almost 20 years have passed since UroVysion was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and so this is a well-established test. However, room exists for further research, with numerous reports on this test having been recently published. In order to update our knowledge, we herein present a brief overview of UroVysion and its features that follows the latest findings as they relate to UC.

Effect of the Paris system for reporting urinary cytology with histologic follow-up

BACKGROUND

The Paris system (TPS) for Reporting Urinary Cytology provides a standardized reporting system whose main focus is the diagnosis of high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC). We conducted a study to see the impact of The Paris System on our cytologic diagnoses with associated histology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We reviewed our pathology database regarding urinary specimens in the year before implementation of The Paris System and the year after. We gathered the data regarding cytologic diagnosis and concurrent/subsequent histology.

RESULTS

Over a 1-year period from 2016-2017, 486 urine cytology specimens were identified before implementation of The Paris System and diagnosed as follows: 83% benign/negative, 10% atypical, 2% suspicious, 5% HGUC, 0.2% low grade urothelial neoplasm (LGUN), and 0.2% unsatisfactory. Over a next 1-year period from 2017 to 2018, 602 specimens used TPS and diagnosed as follows: 85% negative for HGUC, 6% atypical, 3% suspicious, 4% HGUC, 0.17% LGUN, and 2% unsatisfactory. Although, not listed as a standardized category in The Paris System, our institution used "Negative for high-grade, cannot rule out low-grade urothelial neoplasm (NHL)" as a subcategory of Negative for HGUC. 4% of the cases fell into this category. Focusing on the Atypical category before TPS, histology was available in 15/49 (31%) cases. Of these, 40% had HGUC. Regarding the Atypical category after TPS, histology was available in 21/36 (58%) cases. Of these, 52% were HGUC. For the NHL category, concurrent histology was available in 13/26 (50%) cases. Of these, 67% were low grade urothelial neoplasms.

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that TPS lowered the rate of Atypical from 10% to 6%. After the implementation of TPS, Atypical corresponded to a higher rate of high-grade urothelial carcinoma. Also, the NHL subcategory had a high positive predictive value for diagnosing low grade urothelial neoplasms.

The Usefulness of 4 Immunoperoxidase Stains Applied to Urinary Cytology Samples in the Pathologic Stage of Urothelial Carcinoma: A Study With Histologic Correlation

BACKGROUND

Currently, the golden rule for the diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma is biopsy and cystoscopy, unfortionally both are costly, invasive, and uncomfortable. While most urothelial cancers are noninvasive at presentation, it is necessary to find a highly sensitive, noninvasive way to diagnose in its earlier stages, Cytology with immunostaining is a noninvasive, reliable method that might play a role in detecting the earlier stages before its progression and accurate correlation with different stages of these tumors.

AIM

This study aimed to reach an accurate level in the staging of urothelial carcinoma using CD44, ProExC, Laminin, and Fascin on urinary cytology.

DESIGN

We include a total of 180 urinary cytology specimens with their surgical biopsies' counterparts, the staging of the surgical specimens were done according to AJCC2017TNM classification, while their counterpart urinary samples were centrifuged and the sediment was used for H&E and immunocytochemical staining with CD44, ProExC, Laminin, and Fascin.

RESULTS

The diagnosis of Ta-stage tumors was done according to the following immunohistochemical (IHC) profile [positive (+ve) CD44, negative (-ve) proExC, -ve Laminin, and -ve Fascin] with 100% sensitivity, 100% specificity. The diagnosis of Tis stage tumors was done according to IHC profile [-ve CD44, +ve proExC, -ve Laminin, and -ve Fascin] with 100% sensitivity, 93% specificity. The diagnosis of T1 stage tumors according to IHC profile [-ve CD44, +ve proExC, +ve Laminin, and -ve Fascin] with 100% sensitivity, 97% specificity, The diagnosis of T2 and T3 stage tumors was done according to IHC profile [-ve CD44, +ve proExC, +ve Laminin and weak to moderate +ve Fascin] with 100% sensitivity, 92% specificity, while the diagnosis of T4 stage tumors according to the IHC profile [-ve CD44, +ve proExC, +ve Laminin, and intense +ve Fascin] with 100% sensitivity, 100% specificity.

CONCLUSION

Using (CD44, ProExC, Laminin, and Fascin) on urinary cytology is a simple, reliable, and noninvasive method for the staging of urothelial carcinoma with 99% total accuracy.

Fluorescence Emitted by Papanicolaou-Stained Urothelial Cells Improves Sensitivity of Urinary Conventional Cytology for Detection of Urothelial Tumors

Background

Urinary conventional cytology (UCCy) is easy to perform, but its low sensitivity, especially for low-grade urothelial neoplasms (LGUNs), limits its indications in the management of patients at risk of bladder cancer. The authors aim at obtaining a complementary test that would effectively increase the sensitivity of UCCy on voided urines by analyzing fluorescence of Papanicolaou-stained urothelial cells with no change of method in slide preparation.

Methods

In this retrospective study of 155 patients, 91 Papanicolaou-stained voided urines were considered satisfactory under fluorescence microscopy (FMi). The results of FMi were compared with UCCy (using transmission microscopy) and correlated to cystoscopy, histology and follow-up data.

Results

The results are given for all patients and for two groups of them according to the patients’ main complaints (group 1: 33 patients followed up for a previously treated bladder tumor; group 2: 58 patients with persistent urinary symptoms). Overall negative predictive value (NPV) and sensitivity of FMi were 100% vs. 73.7% and 64.3% respectively for UCCy (P = 0.0001). Sensitivity of FMi for LGUN was unexpectedly high with a value of 100% vs. 46.2% for UCCy (P = 0.0002). FMi was significantly superior to UCCy for detecting urothelial tumors in every group of patients and would allow a better characterization of atypical urothelial cells (AUCs) defined by the Paris System for Reporting Urine Cytology (TPS).

Conclusions

Because of its sensitivity and NPV of 100%, FMi could complement UCCy to screen voided urines allowing a better detection of primary urothelial tumors or early recurrences of previously treated urothelial carcinoma. Moreover, this “dual screening” would allow completing efficiently cystoscopy to detect flat dysplasia, carcinoma in situ (CIS) and extra bladder carcinoma.

Should "suspicious for high-grade urothelial carcinoma" and "positive for high-grade urothelial carcinoma" remain separate categories?

BACKGROUND

The Paris System (TPS) for Reporting Urinary Cytology aims to standardize urine cytology reporting. Per TPS, the diagnosis of "suspicious for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (SHGUC)" is applied in cases that have few urothelial cells with severe atypia but are quantitatively insufficient for a diagnosis of "high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC)." In our study, we compared the diagnostic accuracy and risk of malignancy (ROM) of these 2 categories to assess whether they could be combined in clinical practice to perhaps improve overall interobserver variability.

METHODS

All urine specimens with a diagnosis of either SHGUC or HGUC from January 2016 to July 2019 were retrieved from the pathology database of 2 large academic institutions. Only cases with follow-up biopsies within 6 months were included.

RESULTS

One hundred eighty-nine cases met the study criteria. Of these, 122 had a cytologic diagnosis of SHGUC, and 67 had a diagnosis of HGUC. Ninety-five (78%) cases from the SHGUC group and 64 (96%) cases from the HGUC group had biopsy-proven HGUC. The majority of cases with discordance had a history of treatment with either intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin or mitomycin. The difference in the rate of biopsy-proven HGUC between the SHGUC category and the HGUC category (95/122 vs 64/67, respectively) was statistically significant (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The difference in ROM between SHGUC and HGUC was statistically significant in our study cohort. Intravesical chemotherapy was frequently observed in negative biopsy cases in both groups. Our preliminary findings suggest that the 2 TPS categories should remain separate.

Significant reduction of indeterminate (atypical) diagnosis after implementation of The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology: A single-institution study of more than 27,000 cases

BACKGROUND

Urinary cytology is a noninvasive and cost-effective diagnostic and surveillance test in the clinical management of urothelial carcinoma (UC). The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPS), published in 2016, introduced definite diagnostic criteria aimed at improving performance in detecting high-grade UC (HGUC) and decreasing the indeterminate (atypical) diagnosis.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed and compared urinary cytology diagnoses reported between January 2013 and December 2014 (pre-TPS, 7658 cases) and between May 2016 and April 2018 (post-TPS, 20,026 cases) to assess the influence of TPS in their practice. The time in between was used as a learning period. Follow-up information and correlation with the UroVysion fluorescence in situ hybridization test were obtained when available.

RESULTS

Urinary cytology diagnoses pre-TPS included negative for UC (NUC) (n = 5293; 69.2%), atypical urothelial cells (AUC) (n = 2227; 29%), and suspicious/positive for HGUC (SHGUC/HGUC) (n = 138; 1.8%). Diagnoses post-TPS included negative for HGUC (NHGUC) (n = 18,507; 92.4%), AUC (n = 1237; 6.2%), and SHGUC/HGUC (n = 282; 1.4%). Comparing the pre-TPS and post-TPS periods, AUC diagnoses decreased from 29% to 6.2% (P < .00001), and the specificity and positive predictive value of AUC to detect HGUC significantly improved from 49% to 86% (P < .00001) and from 9% to 39% (P = .002), respectively. The correlation of an AUC diagnosis with a positive UroVysion test improved from 17% to 38% (P < .00001), whereas overall use of the UroVysion test was decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of TPS resulted in a significant reduction in AUC diagnoses that had a superior correlation with a subsequent biopsy and a UroVysion test, resulting in potential reductions in test use and medical cost.

Impact of the Paris system for reporting urine cytopathology on predictive values of the equivocal diagnostic categories and interobserver agreement

Background:

The Paris System (TPS) acknowledges the need for more standardized terminology for reporting urine cytopathology results and minimizing the use of equivocal terms. We apply TPS diagnostic terminologies to assess interobserver agreement, compare TPS with the traditional method (TM) of reporting urine cytopathology, and evaluate the rate and positive predictive value (PPV) of each TPS diagnostic category. A survey is conducted at the end of the study.

Materials and Methods:

One hundred urine samples were reviewed independently by six cytopathologists. The diagnosis was rendered according to TPS categories: negative for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (NHGUC), atypical urothelial cells (AUC), low-grade urothelial neoplasm (LGUN), suspicious for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (SHGUC), and high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC). The agreement was assessed using kappa. Disagreements were classified as high and low impacts. Statistical analysis was performed.

Results:

Perfect consensus agreement was 31%, with an overall kappa of 0.362. Kappa by diagnostic category was 0.483, 0.178, 0.258, and 0.520 for NHGUC, AUC, SHGUC, and HGUC, respectively. Both TM and TPS showed 100% specificity and PPV. TPS showed 43% sensitivity (38% by TM) and 70% accuracy (66% by TM). Disagreements with high clinical impact were 27%. Of the 100 cases, 52 were concurrent biopsy-proven HGUC. The detection rate of biopsy-proven HGUC was 43% by TPS (57% by TM). The rate of NHGUC was 54% by TPS versus 26% by TM. AUC rate was 23% by TPS (44% by TM). The PPV of the AUC category by TPS was 61% versus 43% by TM. The survey showed 33% overall satisfaction.

Conclusions:

TPS shows adequate precision for NHGUC and HGUC, with low interobserver agreement for other categories. TPS significantly increased the clinical significance of AUC category. Refinement and widespread application of TPS diagnostic criteria may further improve interobserver agreement and the detection rate of HGUC.

The Paris System for reporting urinary cytology in daily practice with emphasis on ancillary testing by multiprobe FISH

Aims

The Paris System (TPS) was introduced in the diagnostic routine with the goal to simplify and standardise diagnostic reporting of urinary cytology. The diagnostic categories of TPS are based on defined cytological criteria, with a focus on high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC). While the categories ‘negative for HGUC (NHGUC)’ and ‘HGUC’ are straightforward, the categories ‘atypical urothelial cells (AUC)’ and ‘suspicious of HGUC (SHGUC)’ remain inconclusive. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of TPS in daily practice with special emphasis on ancillary fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) testing in the setting of TPS categories.

Methods

In a 19-month period, TPS was prospectively applied in the routine diagnostic setting on 3900 urinary cytology cases comprising bladder and upper urinary tract washings and voided urine specimens. Additionally, we analysed the results of the FISH assay UroVysion prospectively performed on a cohort of 128 cases enriched for AUC and SHGUC categories.

Results

The most frequently reported category was NHGUC (n=3496, 89.7%), followed by AUC (n=178, 4.6%), HGUC (n=155, 4%), SHGUC (n=61, 1.6%), low-grade urothelial neoplasia (n=6, 0.1%) and other malignancies (n=4, 0.1%). In the FISH cohort, 40/90 (44%) cases within the AUC category were FISH positive, consistent with urothelial neoplasia. In the SHGUC category, 16/21 (76%) cases were FISH positive.

Conclusions

When prospectively applying TPS in urinary cytology, inconclusive atypia accounts only for a small subset of cases. FISH additionally improves the stratification between reactive and malignant cells in the indeterminate AUC and SHGUC categories.

Practice Patterns in Urinary Cytopathology Prior to the Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology

CONTEXT.—

The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology has been disseminated since its inception in 2013; however, the daily practice patterns of urinary tract cytopathology are not well known.

OBJECTIVE.—

To assess urinary tract cytopathology practice patterns across a variety of pathology laboratories to aid in the implementation and future update of the Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology.

DESIGN.—

A questionnaire was designed to gather information about urinary tract cytopathology practices and mailed in July 2014 to 2116 laboratories participating in the College of American Pathologists interlaboratory comparison program. The participating laboratories' answers were summarized.

RESULTS.—

Of the 879 of 2116 laboratories (41%) that participated, 745 (84.8%) reported processing urinary tract specimens in house. The laboratories reported processing various specimen types: voided urine, 735 of 738 (99.6%); bladder washing/barbotage, 639 of 738 (86.6%); and catheterized urine specimens, 653 of 738 (88.5%). Some laboratories used multiple preparation methods, but the most commonly used preparation techniques for urinary tract specimens were ThinPrep (57.4%) and Cytospin (45.5%). Eighty-eight of 197 laboratories (44.7%) reported preparing a cell block, but with a low frequency. Adequacy criteria were used by 295 of 707 laboratories (41.7%) for voided urine, and 244 of 707 (34.5%) assessed adequacy for bladder washing/barbotage. More than 95% of the laboratories reported the use of general categories: negative, atypical, suspicious, and positive. Polyomavirus was classified as negative in 408 of 642 laboratories (63.6%) and atypical in 189 of 642 (29.4%). One hundred twenty-eight of 708 laboratories (18.1%) performed ancillary testing, and of these, 102 of 122 (83.6%) reported performing UroVysion.

CONCLUSIONS.—

Most laboratories use the ThinPrep method followed by the Cytospin technique; therefore, the criteria published in The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology, based mostly on ThinPrep and SurePath, should be validated for Cytospin, and relevant information should be included in the revised edition of The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology.

A Quest for Accuracy: Evaluation of The Paris System in Diagnosis of Urothelial Carcinomas

INTRODUCTION

Urine cytology is an important screening tool of patients for urothelial carcinoma (UC) and follow-up of patients with treated disease. Ease of procurement, cost-effectiveness, and lower turnaround time are the major advantages.

OBJECTIVE

To compare current system of reporting (CSR) at our institute with The Paris System (TPS) and analyze utility of urine cytology based on TPS reporting in correlation with urine culture and histopathology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One-year retrospective study of 90 cases was undertaken wherein cases presenting with painless hematuria and clinically suspicious of UC were included. Urine cytology slides were reviewed and reported with TPS guidelines. These findings were correlated with histopathological diagnosis and urine culture as indicated. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS 17 software.

RESULTS

With TPS guidelines, 11.1% and 5.6% cases were reported as high-grade UC (HGUC) and low-grade urothelial neoplasm (LGUN), respectively. Suspicious for HGUC category included 17.8% of cases. The rate of reporting "atypical urothelial cells (AUC)" was significantly lower (11.1%) with TPS on comparison with CSR (16.7%). Histopathological correlation of positive predictive value for HGUC was better (100%) on using TPS when compared with CSR (64.3%). Among 11 cases with microbial growth on urine culture, 9.1% were reported as atypical. Sensitivity and accuracy of TPS in detecting UC were 83.3% and 86.52%, respectively. Both were higher when compared with CSR.

CONCLUSION

In comparison to CSR, criteria of TPS limit the AUC category and enhance the sensitivity and accuracy of detecting HGUC. Adopting TPS for urinary cytology will ensure uniformity and accuracy of HGUC diagnosis.

A Review of Urine Ancillary Tests in the Era of the Paris System

Aside from its diagnostic importance, urinary tract endoscopy is an uncomfortable, expensive, and time-consuming procedure. Patients with a history of urothelial carcinoma remain at an increased risk for recurrence and the development of de novo disease; most have had exposure to carcinogenic risk factors for decades prior to their first diagnosis that have bathed the entire urothelial tract. Consequently, monitoring these patients over their lifetime has made urothelial carcinoma one of the most expensive cancers for the US healthcare system. This expense has provided a financial incentive for academic and commercial groups to develop a test with a sufficient negative predictive value to reduce the frequency of surveillance procedures. Slide-based tests require a separate slide prepared from a split urine sample or from an additional urinary tract specimen. This process can place an additional burden on the laboratory due to changes in the workflow, especially if the split specimens need to be stored until a cytologic diagnosis is rendered (i.e., when used as a reflex test). Importantly, slide-based tests allow for the result to be directly correlated with cytomorphologic findings; however, these tests require the cells of interest to be present. Thus, slide-based tests suffer from the same sensitivity issues as urinary tract cytology. In contrast, slide-free tests do not require an additional slide to be prepared, and laboratory testing may be centralized to a core facility or performed on-site. Some tests detect the expression of altered or abnormally expressed subcellular material (proteins, DNA, etc.) in urothelial neoplasms, which are found in tumor cells and/or in the urine specimen when the proteins are either excreted or leaked from degenerating tumor cells. Slide-free tests may also be developed into point-of-care tests, meaning that the result may be available to the urologist but not to the cytopathologist. Since these proteins are often disassociated from the tumor cells that produce them, such tests may have a positive result even if tumor cells are absent in the tested specimen. Here we review critical concepts as well as several ancillary tests that have been developed for urinary tract specimens.

Diagnostic Utility of UroVysion Combined With Conventional Urinary Cytology for Urothelial Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract

OBJECTIVES

We prospectively evaluated the utility of UroVysion in urothelial carcinomas of the upper urinary tract (UCUUTs).

METHODS

Ninety patients who received nephroureterectomy for UCUUT were enrolled. We performed urinary cytology and UroVysion before nephroureterectomy. We also performed the assays on 23 volunteers without a history of urothelial carcinoma.

RESULTS

Seventy-five high-grade urothelial carcinomas (HGUCs), 10 low-grade urothelial carcinomas, and five other conditions were enrolled. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for HGUC detection by urinary cytology were 28.0%, 100.0%, 100.0%, and 31.6%, respectively; for detection by fluorescence in situ hybridization, these values were 60.0%, 84.0%, 93.8%, and 41.2%, respectively. UroVysion detected the only deletion of 9p21 in eight of 23 samples negative for HGUC by urinary cytology and in three of 23 volunteers.

CONCLUSIONS

Combining urinary cytology and UroVysion can improve the diagnostic accuracy of UCUUT. Caution is advised in diagnosing UCUUT based only on deletion of 9p21.

Utility of The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology in upper urinary tract specimens

INTRODUCTION

Diagnosing upper urinary tract (UUT) lesions using cytology has been historically difficult because of a lack of standardized terminology, cytomorphologic criteria, and the presence of instrumentation artifact. The goal of The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPSRUC) was to provide standardized terminology and cytomorphologic criteria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of TPSRUC in UUT cytology specimens at our institution.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Single ThinPrep archival slides from 30 UUT cytology cases with corresponding histological follow-up were reviewed using TPSRUC. Those results were compared with the original cytology diagnoses.

RESULTS

The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) using TPSRUC were 71%, 100%, 100%, and 71%.

CONCLUSIONS

The TPSRUC was reliable at identifying HGUC. These data showed that this system had a lower sensitivity (71% versus 100%) and NPV (71% versus 100%) for UUT specimens compared with original cytology diagnoses. TPSRUC had a sensitivity and specificity that were comparable to reported overall sensitivity and specificity of UUT cytology for detection of HGUC. A major cause of discrepancy with TPSRUC was the classification of urine samples (n = 8) from histologically proven HGUC cases as only atypical (n = 6) or negative (n = 2), mainly owing to nuclear hypochromasia rather than hyperchromasia. Thus, hyperchromasia, a criteria used in TPSRUC, may not be as relevant in UUT specimens.

A Single Institutional Experience With the Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology: Correlation of Cytology and Histology in 194 Cases

OBJECTIVES

The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPS) is designed to standardize the criteria and terminology used in urinary tract cytology reporting. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of implementing TPS and to analyze the correlation with follow-up biopsies in order to assess its reproducibility.

METHODS

Urinary tract cytology specimens with follow-up biopsies over a 2-year period were reviewed and reclassified according to TPS criteria. Surgical follow-up diagnoses were correlated with the initial cytology diagnoses and TPS interpretations, and the results were compared.

RESULTS

Applying TPS in comparison to our previous reporting system resulted in fewer cases in the atypia category (11.8% vs 24.2%) and higher specificity, accuracy, and predictive value. We observed acceptable interobserver agreement in diagnostic categories of this reporting system.

CONCLUSIONS

TPS improves the overall performance of urinary tract cytology by standardizing the criteria and terminology.

The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology: early review of the literature reveals successes and rare shortcomings

The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPS) provides recommendations for the diagnosis of urinary tract cytology (UTC) specimens and has found acceptance on an international level. Since the official release of TPS in 2016, numerous research studies have been published analyzing its impact. This review summarizes the studies published since the release of TPS, highlighting areas in which TPS has performed well and other areas in which TPS may need improvement.

Improved correlation of urinary cytology specimens using The Paris System in biopsy-proven upper tract urothelial carcinomas

BACKGROUND

Urine cytology specimens are essential for screening and monitoring high-grade urothelial carcinomas. However, inconsistent reporting and equivocal diagnostic categories have remained a challenge. The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPS) was developed to provide clear cytomorphologic criteria for urine cytology specimens. Significant correlation between the surgical biopsy diagnosis (SD) and TPS diagnosis (PD) has been established in lower urothelial tract carcinomas, but to the authors' knowledge limited information is available regarding upper urinary tract carcinomas.

METHODS

A total of 56 cytology specimens from 35 patients within 90 days of an SD of upper urinary tract carcinoma were included. Cytology was re-reviewed and assigned a PD. The original diagnosis (OD) and PD were compared with the corresponding SD to determine which correlated best.

RESULTS

The PD corresponded to the SD in 35 of 56 cases (63%), which was greater than that for the OD and SD, which were concordant in 19 of 56 cases (34%). Both the OD and PD were concordant in 18 of 56 cases (32%), and neither corresponded in 20 of 56 cases (36%). A total of 27 of 33 cases of high-grade urothelial carcinoma/carcinoma in situ on SD (82%) were identified using the PD whereas only 15 cases (45%) were identified with the OD. The number of "atypical" diagnoses in the OD was reduced from 16 of 56 cases (29%) to 7 of 56 cases (13%) using the PD. Of the 14 of 56 "negative" OD (25%), only 4 remained after implementation of the PD. A diagnosis of low-grade urothelial neoplasm was established in 6 of 20 cases (30%) with the PD compared with 3 of 20 cases with the OD (15%).

CONCLUSIONS

The authors found that reclassification with TPS improved correlation with the SD compared with previous methodologies. Specifically, TPS increased the number of high-grade urothelial carcinoma diagnoses and decreased the number of equivocal or "atypical" diagnoses. Cancer Cytopathol 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Performance of the UroVysion® FISH assay for the diagnosis of malignant effusions using two cutoff strategies

The cytological examination of cavity fluids has limited sensitivity in the diagnosis of malignancy. Aneuploidy, which is commonly observed in neoplastic cells, could potentially be used as an ancillary diagnostic tool. To evaluate the detection of aneuploid cells in cavitary effusion samples using the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay UroVysion^® with some adaptations and two different cutoff strategies. Seventy samples of pleural or peritoneal fluid with positive (n = 40), negative (n = 15), or suspicious (n = 15) oncotic cytology were subjected to FISH assay with the multitarget UroVysion^® kit, which is composed of probes that hybridize to the centromeric region of chromosomes 3, 7, and 17 and to the locus 9p21. FISH performance was evaluated using two different cutoffs: (1) the manufacturer's cutoff (M‐FISH) and 2) a proposed cutoff (P‐FISH). Using M‐FISH, the diagnostic sensitivity was 57.1%, specificity 87.5%, and accuracy 60.0%; with P‐FISH, the sensitivity was 87.3%, specificity 71.4%, and accuracy 85.7%. When combined with cytology, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 88.0%, 83.3%, and 87.8%, respectively. Malignant cells presented a predominance of chromosomal gains. The UroVysion^® test using the P‐FISH cutoff was effective in demonstrating aneuploid cells in all malignant effusions, confirming the diagnosis of malignancy even in cases with suspicious cytology.

Expectations and Projections for the Future of Nongynecolgical Cytology 10 Years Ago: Did They Materialize and How Did We Do?

In 2007, an article entitled "How Technology Is Reshaping the Practice of Nongynecologic Cytology: Frontiers of Cytology Symposium" [Bibbo: Acta Cytol 2007;51:123-152] was published. The moderator and editor was Marluce Bibbo, previous Editor-in-Chief of Acta Cytologica, and 17 participants from countries throughout the world were asked to answer how new technologies were being applied in their respective laboratories and whether future advances and challenges can be predicted. Ten years later, two previous participants in this Golden Anniversary Cytology Symposium were asked by Kari Syrjänen, current Editor-in-Chief of Acta Cytologica, to make a reappraisal of the 2007 predictions.