Peritoneal fluid cytology in advanced mucinous cystadenocarcinoma of the pancreas.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the role of peritoneal cytology in the management of mucinous cystadenocarcinoma.


METHODS
A review of the peritoneal fluid cytologic findings in eight selected cases of pancreatic mucinous cystadenocarcinomas.


RESULTS
Four of eight cases (50%) were positive for malignant cells. All four patients with positive peritoneal cytology had unresectable tumors and extensive intraabdominal metastases. Of the four patients with negative cytology, three had unresectable, locally invasive tumors without metastases, and one had a resectable tumor confined to the pancreas.


CONCLUSIONS
Peritoneal cytology is frequently positive in unresectable mucinous cystadenocarcinomas with intraabdominal metastases, but cytology may often be negative in unresectable cases. Therefore, negative cytologic findings in these cases do not reliably ensure resectability, while positive findings clearly correlate with the presence of intraabdominal metastases. A larger study of unselected patients, including more with resectable tumors, will be required to define the full utility of this technique in preoperative assessment.
Centeno
B A
BA
Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Kuebler
D
D
Warshaw
A L
AL
Lewandrowski
K B
KB
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D018282:Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*