PURPOSE: The significance of peritoneal lavage cytology as a prognostic marker has been examined in various types of @entity5 . However, the meaning of positive peritoneal lavage cytology in @entity14 is still controversial. The aim of this review is to evaluate the prognostic significance of positive peritoneal lavage cytology in @entity14 . METHODS: An English literature search was performed on all studies published between 1998 and 2014 that compared the detection of peritoneal free @entity5 cells with survival or recurrence. RESULTS: Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria. All studies employed one (or more) of the three techniques used to detect free @entity5 cells in the peritoneal cavity: (1) conventional cytology, (2) immunocytochemistry or (3) polymerase chain reaction. The incidence of positive peritoneal lavage cytology ranged from 2.2 to 47.2  % across the studies. The factors correlated with positive peritoneal lavage cytology were @entity5 penetration and @entity3 (lymph node, liver and peritoneum). In nine studies, positive lavage findings were associated with a worse survival, and it was associated with increased recurrence in 13 studies. CONCLUSION: Positive peritoneal lavage cytology seems to be an indicator of a poor prognosis in @entity14 @entity1 . Further studies are needed to clarify the prognostic impact of peritoneal lavage cytology, by comparing the different methods used for the collection of the peritoneal lavage.

Incidence and prognostic significance of positive peritoneal lavage in XXXX .

@entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor', 'cancer'] @entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastases'] @entity14 :: ('MESH:D015179', 'Disease') :: ['colorectal cancer']
@entity14 :: (MESH:D015179,Disease) :: ['colorectal cancer']
