Medical Technology (MTLE)

Histopathology and Cytology Reviewer for MTLE Philippines 2026

LisensyaPrep Team•May 1, 2026•10 min read

Filipino male medical technologist looking into microscope for MTLE histopathology cytology reviewer Philippines 2026

Histopathology and Cytology is the laboratory discipline that examines tissue and cell specimens to diagnose disease, primarily cancer. While pathologists make the final diagnosis, medical technologists in the histopathology and cytology laboratory prepare the specimens that make diagnosis possible.

The MTLE tests your knowledge of tissue processing, fixation, staining, and the principles of cytology that underpin cancer screening programs in the Philippines and worldwide.

Histopathology: Tissue Processing

Tissue processing transforms a fresh surgical specimen into a thin, stained section that can be examined under a microscope. Each step must be done correctly or the diagnostic quality of the final slide suffers.

Histopathology tissue processing steps from fixation to mounting

Fixation

Fixation is the first and most critical step. It preserves tissue morphology and prevents autolysis (self-digestion by enzymes) and putrefaction.

10% Neutral Buffered Formalin (NBF) is the most commonly used fixative in surgical pathology. It cross-links proteins and preserves nucleic acids. The recommended fixation ratio is 10:1 (fixative volume to tissue volume).

Fixation time: Adequate fixation requires at least 6 to 24 hours depending on tissue thickness. Underfixation causes poor nuclear detail. Overfixation causes excessive hardening and poor antigen retrieval for immunohistochemistry.

Other fixatives and their uses:

•B5 fixative: best for lymph node and bone marrow biopsies

•Bouin's solution: best for testicular biopsies

•Glutaraldehyde: used for electron microscopy

•Zenker's fixative: used for liver and spleen specimens

Staining

Hematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) stain is the routine stain used in histopathology.

Hematoxylin is a basic dye that stains acidic structures blue to purple. These are called basophilic structures. Basophilic structures include cell nuclei (containing DNA), ribosomes, and rough endoplasmic reticulum.

Eosin is an acidic dye that stains basic structures pink to red. These are called eosinophilic structures. Eosinophilic structures include cytoplasm, muscle, and collagen.

Special Stains

Special stains are used when H and E alone is insufficient to identify specific tissue components or organisms.

Special Stain	What It Identifies

|--------------|-------------------|

PAS (Periodic Acid-Schiff)	Glycogen, fungi, basement membranes
Masson's Trichrome	Collagen (blue-green), muscle (red), fibrin
Ziehl-Neelsen (Acid-Fast)	Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Grocott Methenamine Silver (GMS)	Fungi (black against green background)
Congo Red	Amyloid (apple-green birefringence under polarized light)
Prussian Blue (Perls')	Iron/hemosiderin
Reticulin (Gordon-Sweet)	Reticular fibers

Cytology: Examining Individual Cells

Cytology examines individual cells or small clusters rather than intact tissue architecture. It is used primarily for cancer screening and diagnosis.

Papanicolaou (Pap) Stain

The Pap stain is the standard stain used in cytology. It was developed by George Papanicolaou and is the basis of cervical cancer screening worldwide.

Staining results:

•Nuclei: dark blue to purple (hematoxylin)

•Cytoplasm of superficial cells: pink to red (eosinophilic)

•Cytoplasm of intermediate cells: blue-green to green (cyanophilic)

•Cytoplasm of parabasal cells: blue-green

Cervical Cytology and the Bethesda System

The Bethesda System is the standardized reporting system for cervical cytology. MTLE questions on cytology frequently reference Bethesda categories.

Bethesda System categories for cervical cytology reporting

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Sputum Cytology

Sputum specimens are used to detect malignant cells from the respiratory tract. For sputum cytology, the early morning deep-cough specimen is the most diagnostic. Three consecutive specimens improve sensitivity.

Curschmann's spirals: Coiled mucus plugs seen in asthma.

Charcot-Leyden crystals: Eosinophil breakdown products seen in asthma and allergic conditions.

Ferruginous bodies (asbestos bodies): Asbestos fibers coated with iron-containing protein. Indicate asbestos exposure.

Frozen Section

A frozen section is a rapid intraoperative technique that allows diagnosis while the patient is still on the operating table. The tissue is frozen rather than processed in paraffin, sectioned at 6 to 8 microns, and stained with H and E. Results are available in 10 to 20 minutes.

Indications: Determination of surgical margins (is the tumor completely excised?), intraoperative diagnosis to guide the extent of surgery, identification of parathyroid tissue.

Limitations: Ice crystal artifact reduces cytological detail compared to permanent sections. Paraffin sections are still performed after frozen sections for final diagnosis.

Practice What You Just Learned

Histopathology and cytology questions in the MTLE test staining principles, tissue processing knowledge, and cytological classification systems. Practice now at LisensyaPrep. No account needed.

Practice MTLE Histopathology Questions at LisensyaPrep