title: The value of peritoneal washing cytology during intra-abdominal surgery for female genital tract neoplasms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peritoneal washing cytology is a technique performed during surgery for genital neoplasms to detect subclinical intraperitoneal metastases from these tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate PWC utility in presumed benign and malignant female genital tract neoplasms by comparing the results of peritoneal cytology and corresponding histopathological specimens.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 305 cases of female genital lesions with available staging (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) were considered. In cases with positive cytology, without neoplastic involvement of the ovarian and uterine surfaces, the salpinx was accurately examined to reveal primary malignant fallopian tubal neoplasms. For malignant ovarian neoplasms, the correlation rate between cytological and histopathological findings was statistically evaluated using the Fisher exact test. Statistical significance was defined as P < .05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histopathological diagnosis revealed that of 32 cases with positive cytology, 21 examples corresponded to primary ovarian serous carcinomas (65.625%). Moreover, the serous carcinoma was the subtype that most frequently revealed neoplastic elements on PWC (21 examples in 22 cases, 95.4%). Only 1 of these malignancies with positive cytology and pT1a stage presented simultaneous invasive and in situ serous carcinoma of contralateral tubal fimbria. Only 1 of serous endometrial carcinomas that involved an endometrial polyp was associated with positive cytology and with simultaneous carcinoma of tubal fimbria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, PWC remains a useful procedure for staging malignant genital tract neoplasms and can be necessary to detect occult fallopian tube malignancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical, Biotechnological and Translational Sciences, Pathological Anatomy and Histology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. Electronic address: giovanna.giordano@unipr.it.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical, Biotechnological and Translational Sciences, Pathological Anatomy and Histology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Varotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical, Biotechnological and Translational Sciences, Pathological Anatomy and Histology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brigati
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Berretta
mesh_terms: D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018297:Neoplasms, Cystic, Mucinous, and Serous / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D010533:Peritoneal Lavage; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Cytopathological study; Histopathological study; Ovarian neoplasms; Tubal neoplasms; Uterine Neoplasm