Prognostic Value of Peritoneal Washing Cytology in Gynecologic Malignancies: a Controversial Issue

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic impact of peritoneal washing cytology in patients with endometrial andovarian cancers. Materials and
Methods: We retrospectively identified 86 individuals with ovarian carcinomas,ovarian borderline tumors and endometrial adenocarcinomas. The patients had been treated at Shahid SadoughiHospital and Ramazanzadeh Radiotherapy Center, Yazd, Iran between 2004 and 2012. Survival differences weredetermined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Cox regression method. Ap<0.05 value was considered statistically significant.
Results: There were 36 patients with ovarian carcinomas, 4with borderline ovarian tumors and 46 with endometrial carcinomas. The mean age of the patients was 53.8±15.2years. In patients with ovarian carcinoma the overall survival in the negative cytology group was better than thepatients with positive cytology although this difference failed to reach statistical significance (p=0.30). At 0 to 50months the overall survival was better in patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma and negative cytology thanthe patients with positive cytology but then it decreased (p=0.85). At 15 to 60 months patients with FIGO 2009stage IA-II endometrial andocarcinoma and negative peritoneal cytology had a superior survival rate comparedto 1988 IIIA and positive cytology only, although this difference failed to reach statistical significance(p=0.94).Multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards model showed that stage and peritoneal cytology werepredictors of death.
Conclusions: Our results show good correlation of peritoneal cytology with prognosis inpatients with ovarian carcinoma. In endometrial carcinoma it had prognostic importance. Additional researchis warranted.