Cytological examination of cavity effusions is extremely important as it highlight the cause, presence of metastatic cells, typing of unknown cases, prognosis and staging of cancer. To study and evaluate trends in cytological evaluation of cavity effusions for various pathological conditions in a tertiary health care centre. 2) To correlate their frequency in relation to diagnosis. Our Study was cross-sectional study performed in Department of Pathology, Sri Aurobindo Medical College and Post Graduate Institute from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2014. Serous cavity effusions included in the study were pleural and peritoneal in origin. All other fluids (pericardial and synovial fluid) were excluded from the study. The history and relevant parameters were noted and correlated clinically. Cytospin and Conventional smear methods were performed on pleural and peritoneal fluids. Both air dried and wet fixed smears in methyl alcohol were used and stained with Papanicolaou (PAP) and May-Grunwald-Giemsa (MGG) stain. Out of 885 cases, 400 (45.19%) were pleural fluid, 485(54.8%) were peritoneal fluid .806 (91%) were of benign effusion and 79 (8.92%) were of malignant effusion. Total transudate cases in our study were 611 (69%) and exudates were 274 (30.9%). Male to female ratio was 1.5:1 with youngest patient 20 years old and eldest was 85years old. In younger age group benign effusions are common and malignant in older age group. Morphology and staining with May-Grunwald-Giemsa (MGG) and Papanicolaou (PAP) helped in better interpretation. Preliminary fluid analysis for cytology in resource limited settings, still remains the most convenient and cost effective method in arriving at the diagnosis, thereby reducing the need for invasive investigations and their related complications. Presence and absence of malignant cells at times can be the only clue to the presence of malignancy thereby affecting the prognosis and treatment outcome of the patient