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THE VALUE OF PERITONEAL WASHING CYTOLOGY IN THE STAGING OF GYNAECOLOGICAL MALIGNANCY
Author(s) -
Joshi P,
Evans A.,
Rana D. N.,
Hale R.,
Wilson G. E.,
Desai M.,
Ismail S. M.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
cytopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1365-2303
pISSN - 0956-5507
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2303.2006.00392_13_3.x
Subject(s) - medicine , stage (stratigraphy) , endometrial cancer , ovarian cancer , malignancy , cytology , ovary , gynecology , peritoneal fluid , cancer , oncology , pathology , paleontology , biology
Current protocols for staging gynaecological cancers include cytopathological examination of peritoneal washings taken at the time of definitive surgery. We investigated the clinical usefulness of this procedure. Methods: During 2004 and 2005, 140 peritoneal washings were submitted for cytopathological examination in our institutions for staging of 36 ovarian, 101 endometrial and 3 synchronous ovarian/endometrial cancers. Results: The washings contained malignant cells in 39 cases (28%). 35 of these cases had high stage disease – not confined to the organ of origin (i.e. stage 2 or more for ovary and stage 3 or more for endometrial). The other 4 were stage 1C ovarian cancers where there was either rupture or tumour involvement of the capsule. In only 2 of the 39 positive cases the cancer was marginally upstaged by the positive washings – these were ovarian cancers upstaged from 2A /B to 2C. Discussion: These findings suggest that peritoneal washing cytology as a routine procedure for staging ovarian and endometrial cancer is of limited clinical value. A larger study is needed to determine whether this procedure should continue to be included in staging protocols for gynaecological cancer.