[Chances, possibilities and effects of new installations, mainly automated protocols in the field of cytology as well as cytologic early cancer diagnosis].

In the recent past symptoms of a reorganization of laboratory medicine became apparent. They were brought about by methodological progress in analytical biochemistry, chemistry and also by the rapidly increasing efficiency of automation in the clinical laboratory as well as in medical practice. A somewhat parallel change also comes into existence in cytology and also, within certain limits, the histology. Since the early seventies the German Government, in accord with these developments, has supported some projects purporting to design better, more reproducible and more simple procedures in clinical diagnosis. With regard to cytological detection of malignancy this meant the development of methods to render cytological diagnosis a more potent tool for the recognition of cancer at an earlier stage on pre-selected material and with a high degree of sensitivity. Requirements on the quality of these methods with regard to reliability and safety will be discussed together with those marginal conditions which are expected to have a bearing on decisions aiming at the introduction of those methods into cytological routine. Consideration of those problems will be based on qualification requirements on prescreening procedures in general and manual cytological prescreening in particular. Discussion will also be extended on procedural sources of error.