Rapid death following papillary serous carcinoma of the endometrium without myometrial invasion.

A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with a stage I endometrial carcinoma, and total hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and systematic pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomy were performed. Postoperative pathological examination determined that the tumor was confined to the endometrium, with no myometrial invasion or lymph-vascular involvement; histological examination revealed a papillary serous carcinoma of the endometrium. Peritoneal washing cytology during surgery revealed an adenocarcinoma. Despite postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, early recurrence resulted in death 13 months after surgery. In the absence of myometrial invasion and lymph-vascular involvement, the data suggest that peritoneal washing cytology may serve as a prognostic factor in papillary serous carcinoma of the endometrium.