Does diagnostic hysteroscopy in patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma cause positive peritoneal washings?

Objectives. Previous studies have shown that positive peritoneal washings may adversely affect cancer survival rates and that hysteroscopy is associated with a higher risk of positive washings in patients with endometrial carcinoma. Our aim was to assess if diagnostic hysteroscopy increases the risk of positive peritoneal washings in patients with endometrial cancer and affects the prognosis after surgery. Study design. Retrospective cohort study. The medical records of 50 consecutive patients with endometrial carcinoma, diagnosed with hysteroscopy and tissue sampling and treated by abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and peritoneal washings were reviewed. Results. Of the 43 patients with endometrial carcinoma FIGO stage I, none had positive peritoneal washings (95%CI: 0-8.2%). The mean interval between hysteroscopy and surgery was 33.5 days. The 5-year disease-specific survival rate was 91.8%, the 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 85.4%. Conclusion. Diagnostic hysteroscopy had no adverse effect on the incidence of positive peritoneal washings or on prognosis in stage I endometrial cancer patients. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved