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The significance of peritoneal cytology in stage IB cervical cancer
P C Morris1, J Haugen, B Anderson
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of positive peritoneal cytology and to evaluate its usefulness in the management of patients with early-stage cervical cancer.
Methods:
Peritoneal cytology was studied in 273 women undergoing primary surgical exploration for International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage IB cancer of the cervix. Charts were reviewed retrospectively for clinicopathologic data concerning tumor size, cell type, lymph node status, and outcome.
Results:
Cytology was positive in four women, three of whom had enlarged pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes or intraperitoneal disease. There was no association between tumor histology or tumor size and peritoneal cytology.
Conclusion:
The incidence of positive peritoneal cytology in early-stage cervical cancer is low, and the prognostic significance of positive cytology is overshadowed by other risk factors more obvious at surgery. The routine collection of cytologic specimens at laparotomy should be abandoned in this setting.