ORIGINAL ARTICLE – BREAST ONCOLOGY Automated Microscopy to Evaluate Surgical Specimens Via Touch Prep in Breast Cancer

Background. Breast conservation therapy is the standard treatment for breast cancer; however, 20–50 % of opera-tions have a positive margin leading to secondary procedures. The standard of care to evaluate surgical margins is based on permanent section. Imprint cytology (touch prep) has been used to evaluate surgical samples, but conventional techniques require an experienced cyto-pathologist for correct interpretation. An automated image screening process has been developed to discern cancer cells from normal epithelial cells. This technique is based on cellularity of the imprint specimen and does not require expertise in cytopathology. Methods. A rapid immunofluorescent staining technique coupled with automated microscopy was used to classif