PROGNOSTIC-SIGNIFICANCE OF PERITONEAL-FLUID CYTOLOGY IN ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA - A MULTICENTER STUDY

Between February 1985 and September 1992, 265 patients with various st ages of endometrial carcinoma were enrolled in a multicenter retrospec tive study to analyze the prognostic value of peritoneal cytologic was hings. Thirty-four (12.8%) patients had malignant results on peritonea l cytology. A statistically significant association (P = .002) was fou nd between high histologic grade and positive cytology. On univariate analysis, prognostic variables affecting survival were myometrial inva sion (P = .03), lymph node metastasis (P = .01), and malignant periton eal cytology (P = .004). Malignant fluid cytology was not significantl y associated (P = .26) with disease recurrence. Relapse occurred in 4 (11.8%) of 34 patients with positive peritoneal cytology and in 12 (5. 2%) of 231 patients with negative peritoneal cytology. On multivariate analysis, lymph node involvement was the only prognostic factor that influenced outcome independently and adversely. On the basis of these findings, malignant peritoneal cytology does not appear to be an adver se and independent prognostic indicator in endometrial carcinoma.