Peritoneal fluid cytology in patients with ovarian cancer.

Peritoneal fluid was examined for the presence of tumor cells in 94 patients with ovarian cancer. The findings were correlated with the type, grade, and stage of the tumor. Fluids that were positive for malignant cells were associated with serous and endometrioid carcinomas more often than with carcinomas of other types. Patients with high-stage tumors of all types had positive fluids more often than those with low-stage tumors. The presence of tumor cells in the fluid indicated a worse prognosis at 2 years. Analysis of other factors that influence prognosis, however, revealed that this difference was related more specifically to the stage of the disease. Since the presence of tumor cells in abdominal fluid is a factor in the subclassification of Stage I and Stage II ovarian cancer, analysis of a larger group of patients with tumors in these stages is needed to establish the prognostic significance of positive cytological findings independent of other prognostic factors.