title: Pervaginal cul-de-sac cytology and CT in the follow-up care of patients with advanced ovarian cancer.
abstract: Among 28 patients with advanced ovarian cancer (FIGO stage III) treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy there were 23 cases with residual malignant disease as revealed by "second-look" surgery. Preoperative studies including fine needle cul-de-sac washing samples (FD) for cytology and abdominopelvic computed tomography (CT) detected 13 tumors with residual disease. No false positive findings were encountered among preoperative studies. There were 2 cases in which both clinical examination and CT detected malignant growth. In 2 cases clinical examination revealed tumors not detected by CT. On the other hand in 3 cases CT found the residual disease. In 6 cases residual tumors were preoperatively detected only by FD cytology. Manually and radiologically undetectable tumors were greater than 1 cm in diameter in 7 cases, fine nodular involvements in 8 cases, and in 1 case the residual disease was only cytologically diagnosed.
mesh_terms: D001707:Biopsy, Needle; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D012086:Reoperation