Malignant peritoneal cytology as prognostic indicator in stage I endometrial cancer

The prognostic significance of malignant peritoneal cytology was evaluated in 93 patients with stage I endometrial cancer seen at Roswell Park Memorial Institute. Eighty-three patients (89%) had negative cytologic samples and ten (11%) had positive cytology for neoplastic cells. All patients were followed for a minimum of ten years or until dead from cancer or intercurrent disease. No patient received treatment for positive cytology. There was one recurrence in the patients with positive cytology (10%), and six recurrences in the negative group (7%). The actuarial survival rate at five and ten years for patients with negative cytology was 93.9 and 92.5%, respectively. For patients with positive cytology, the survival was 87.5% at both time intervals. No significant difference was found between the groups. Malignant peritoneal cytology does not seem to be a prognostic indicator in stage I endometrial cancer.