Endometrial aspiration cytology for diagnosis of peritoneal lesions in extrauterine malignancies.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the usefulness of endometrial aspiration cytology for assessing malignant cells of extrauterine origin.

STUDY

DESIGN

Endometrial cytology was performed on 224 patients with primary ovarian cancer, 10 with fallopian tube cancer and 45 with peritoneal tumors.

RESULTS

Of 224 patients with ovarian cancer, 53 (23.7%) had positive endometrial cytology. Positive rates were: stage I, 4.3%; stage II, 25.0%; stage III, 39.7%; stage IV, 34.5%. Histologic positive rates were: serous, 28.7%; mucinous, 11.4%; clear cell, 23.1%; endometrioid and unclassifiable adenocarcinomas, 28.0%. Of 5 patients with ovarian cancer, 2 were asymptomatic, but aspiration cytology was positive. Of 10 patients with fallopian tube cancer, 9 (90.0%) had positive endometrial cytology. The positive rate on endometrial cytology was 56.7% in stomach cancer, 60.0% in breast cancer and 20.0% in colon cancer. Of 1,209 women with stomach cancer, 30 (2.4%) displayed ovarian metastasis. Of these, 7 (23.3%) had Krukenberg's tumor; endometrial cytology was positive in 1 (14.3%). In 7 of 17 patients with positive endometrial cytology, clinical diagnosis was made before stomach cancer therapy.

CONCLUSION

Endometrial aspiration cytology is useful for identifying nongynecologic malignant cells, diagnosing ovarian and fallopian tube cancers, and determining peritoneal dissemination and metastasis originating from gastrointestinal and breast cancers.