Rt-PCR increases detection of submicroscopic peritoneal metastases in gastric cancer and has prognostic significance

Utility of Molecular Analysis of Peritoneal Fluid in Staging Laparoscopy of Advanced Esophagogastric Junction and Gastric Cancer Prior to Neoadjuvant Treatment

PURPOSE

Molecular analysis of peritoneal fluid in staging laparoscopy of gastric cancer is performed to improve the detection of free intraperitoneal tumor cells. Nevertheless, its significance is controversial, especially in patients with negative cytology but positive molecular analysis. The aim of this study was to analyze the sensitivity of molecular analysis and its prognostic value.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis from April 2011 to October 2019 was performed. Cytology (Cyt) and molecular analysis were analyzed by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 20 (CK20) tumor makers.

RESULTS

During the study period, 138 staging laparoscopies were performed. Macroscopic carcinomatosis was found in 12.3%. Of the remaining 87.7%, 9.9% were Cyt + and 11.6% were Cyt- RT-PCR + . Of the latter, 9 responded to chemotherapy and underwent radical surgery. The sensitivity of cytology and molecular analysis was 0.70 and 0.76, respectively (p = 0.67). The 2-year overall survival (OS) of Cyt- RT-PCR + vs. Cyt + was similar (p = 0.1). The 2-year OS of Cyt-RT-PCR + subgroup who underwent radical surgery vs. Cyt-RT-PCR- patients was similar (p = 0.69), but disease-free survival was shorter in the first group (p = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

Our results show that the sensitivity of molecular analysis is similar to that of cytology. The prognostic value of positive molecular analysis was similar to positive cytology in terms of 2-year overall survival, except in the subgroup of operated patients in whom the overall survival was similar to that of those with a negative molecular analysis, albeit with a shorter disease-free survival.

Accurate and Rapid Detection of Peritoneal Metastasis from Gastric Cancer by AI-Assisted Stimulated Raman Molecular Cytology

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is the mostcommon form of distant metastasis and one of the leading causes of death in gastriccancer (GC). For locally advanced GC, clinical guidelines recommend peritoneal lavage cytology for intraoperative PM detection. Unfortunately, current peritoneal lavage cytology is limited by low sensitivity (<60%). Here the authors established the stimulated Raman molecular cytology (SRMC), a chemical microscopy-based intelligent cytology. The authors firstly imaged 53 951 exfoliated cells in ascites obtained from 80 GC patients (27 PM positive, 53 PM negative). Then, the authors revealed 12 single cell features of morphology and composition that are significantly different between PM positive and negative specimens, including cellular area, lipid protein ratio, etc. Importantly, the authors developed a single cell phenotyping algorithm to further transform the above raw features to feature matrix. Such matrix is crucial to identify the significant marker cell cluster, the divergence of which is finally used to differentiate the PM positive and negative. Compared with histopathology, the gold standard of PM detection, their SRMC method could reach 81.5% sensitivity, 84.9% specificity, and the AUC of 0.85, within 20 minutes for each patient. Together, their SRMC method shows great potential for accurate and rapid detection of PM from GC.

Free cancer cells in gastric cancer - methods of detection, clinical and prognostic importance (meta-analysis)

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant cancers worldwide. Intraperitoneal dissemination is the typical mechanism of the formation of metastases in GC. The diagnosis of the presence of intraperitoneal free cancer cells (IFCCs) is treated equally to the M (metastasis) category according to the 8^th edition of the TNM classification by the American Joint Committee on Cancer. IFCCs are cells which have detached from the primary tumour through exfoliation into the peritoneal cavity. The source of IFCCs may be iatrogenic due to improper surgical technique during resection of the tumour and may lead to intraperitoneal dissemination. Cytological examination of peritoneal lavage is considered as a gold standard in the confirmation of the presence of IFCCs; however, its sensitivity is very low. In order to increase the sensitivity and reliability of the examination, molecular biology techniques should be applied. In the case of detection of the presence of IFCCs in patients with GC, the patient should be qualified for chemotherapy, or possibly the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy should be considered.

Review and Update on the Role of Peritoneal Cytology in the Treatment of Gastric Cancer

BACKGROUND

Positive peritoneal cytology (Cyt+) even in the absence of macroscopic disease is associated with poor prognosis in patients with gastric cancer and deemed as M1 disease. Recent years have seen advancements in the evaluation strategies for peritoneal washings and management of patients with Cyt+. The aim of this review was to describe the newest paradigms in the management of patients with gastric cancer who have Cyt+ without macroscopic peritoneal metastases.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify studies on the management of gastric cancer and thereby to summarize relevant information on the accuracy of various diagnostic tests and controversies involved in the treatment of patients with Cyt+.

RESULTS

Although conventional cytology remains the standard technique for assessment of peritoneal washings, it is limited by low sensitivity. The role of immunohistochemistry and molecular techniques for the assessment of peritoneal washings is evolving. Although systemic chemotherapy remains the standard of care for patients with Cyt+ disease, the role of gastrectomy, intraperitoneal chemotherapy, extensive intraperitoneal saline lavage, and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is being evaluated.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical decision-making in patients with Cyt+ remains controversial given the seemingly technical resectable albeit biologically unresectable or aggressive disease that portends an overall poor prognosis. Current management strategies are evolving, and further studies are needed to develop an optimal treatment strategy for these patients.

Prognostic significance of peritoneal lavage cytology in staging gastric cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Peritoneal cytology has been used as a part of the cancer staging of gastric cancer patients. The primary aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the value of peritoneal cytology as part of the staging of gastric cancer and survival prediction. The second aim was to establish if positive cytology may be modified by neoadjuvant therapy, to improve prognosis.

METHODS

An electronic literature search was performed using Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and Cochrane library databases up to January 2016. The logarithm of the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) was used as the primary summary statistic. Comparative studies were used, and the outcome measure was survival in three groups: (1) positive versus negative cytology at staging laparoscopy immediately preceding surgery; (2) effect of neoadjuvant therapy on cytology and survival; and (3) positive cytology in the absence of macroscopic peritoneal disease was compared with obvious macroscopic peritoneal disease.

RESULTS

Pooled analysis demonstrated that positive cytology was associated with significantly reduced overall survival (HR, 3.46; 95% CI, 2.77-4.31; P < 0.0001). Interestingly, negative cytology following neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with significantly improved overall survival (HR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.31-0.57; P < 0.0001). The absence of macroscopic peritoneal disease with positive cytology was associated with significantly improved overall survival (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.56-0.73; P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that patients with initial positive cytology may have a good prognosis following neoadjuvant treatment if the cytology results change to negative after treatment.

Evaluation of ascitic soluble human leukocyte antigen-G for distinguishing malignant ascites from benign ascites

The overexpression of soluble human leukocyte antigen-G is associated with malignant tumours. The purpose of our study was to detect soluble human leukocyte antigen-G concentrations in ascites and to evaluate the value of ascitic soluble human leukocyte antigen-G for the diagnosis of malignant ascites. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect soluble human leukocyte antigen-G levels in 64 patients with malignant ascites and 30 patients with benign ascites. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of ascitic soluble human leukocyte antigen-G for the detection of malignant ascites. Ascitic soluble human leukocyte antigen-G levels were significantly higher in the malignant ascites group than in the benign ascites group (20.718 ± 3.215 versus 12.467 ± 3.678 µg/L, t = 7.425, p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for ascitic soluble human leukocyte antigen-G was 0.957 (95% confidence interval, 0.872-0.992). At a cut-off value of 19.60 µg/L, the sensitivity and specificity of ascitic soluble human leukocyte antigen-G were 87.5% (95% confidence interval, 71.0%-96.5%) and 100% (95% confidence interval, 88.4%-100%), respectively. With respect to area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity and specificity, ascitic carcinoembryonic antigen (0.810, 68.75% and 83.33%, respectively) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (0.710, 65.63% and 70%, respectively) significantly differed (all p < 0.05). In malignant ascites that were cytology-negative and biopsy-positive, the rate of positivity for ascitic soluble human leukocyte antigen-G was 75%, which was higher than the corresponding rates for ascitic carcinoembryonic antigen (31.25%) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (6.25%; both p < 0.05). In conclusion, The detection of ascitic soluble human leukocyte antigen-G exhibited good performance for diagnosing malignant ascites, and particularly those that were cytology-negative and biopsy-positive.

Treatment of Peritoneal Dissemination in Stomach Cancer Patients With Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC): Rationale and Design of the PERISCOPE Study

Background

Patients with gastric cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis have a very poor prognosis; median survival is 3 to 4 months. Palliative systemic chemotherapy is currently the only treatment available in the Netherlands. Intraoperative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has an established role in the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis originating from colorectal cancer, appendiceal cancer, and pseudomyxoma peritonei; its role in gastric cancer is uncertain. Currently, there is no consensus on the choice of chemotherapeutic agents used in HIPEC for gastric cancer.

Objective

The main objectives of this study are (1) to investigate the safety, tolerability, and feasibility of gastrectomy combined with cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC after systemic chemotherapy, as a primary treatment option for patients with advanced gastric cancer with tumor positive peritoneal cytology and/or limited peritoneal carcinomatosis; and (2) to determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of intraperitoneal docetaxel in combination with a fixed dose of intraperitoneal oxaliplatin.

Methods

The PERISCOPE study is a multicenter, open label, phase I-II dose-escalation study. The MTD of docetaxel will be studied using a 3+3 design. Patients with locally advanced (cT3-cT4) gastric adenocarcinoma are eligible for inclusion if the primary gastric tumor is considered resectable, tumor positive peritoneal cytology and/or limited peritoneal carcinomatosis is confirmed by diagnostic laparoscopy/ laparotomy, and prior systemic chemotherapy was without disease progression. At laparotomy, cytoreductive surgery (complete removal of all macroscopically visible tumor deposits) and a total or partial gastrectomy with a D2 lymph node dissection is performed. An open HIPEC technique is used with 460mg/m2 hyperthermic oxaliplatin for 30 minutes (41°C to 42°C) followed by normothermic docetaxel for 90 minutes (37°C) in a dose that will be escalated per 3 patients (0, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 mg/m2). The primary endpoint is treatment related toxicity.

Results

Patient accrual is ongoing and the first results are expected in 2017.

Conclusions

The PERISCOPE study will determine the safety, tolerability, and feasibility of gastrectomy combined with cytoreduction and HIPEC using oxaliplatin in combination with docetaxel after systemic chemotherapy as primary treatment option for gastric cancer patients with tumor positive peritoneal cytology and/or limited peritoneal carcinomatosis. This study will provide pharmacokinetic data on the intraperitoneal administration of oxaliplatin and docetaxel, including the MTD of intraperitoneal-administered docetaxel. These data are a prerequisite for the safe conduct of future HIPEC studies in patients with gastric cancer.

Trial Registration

Netherlands Trial Registration (NTR): NTR4250; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/ rctview.asp?TC=4250 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6rWJONgkt)

Detection value of free cancer cells in peritoneal washing in gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Intraperitoneal free cancer cells in gastric adenocarcinoma are associated with a poor outcome. However, the true prognostic value of intraperitoneal free cancer cells is still unclear, leading to a lack of consensus in the management of gastric cancer. The aim of the present study is to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze intraperitoneal free cancer cells-positive patients with regard to tumor oncologic stage, recurrence, grade of cellular differentiation, and survival rates and to analyze the clinical significance of intraperitoneal free cancer cells with regard to prognosis. Databases were searched up to January 2016 for prognostic factors associated with intraperitoneal free cancer cells, including oncologic stage, depth of neoplasm invasion, lymph nodal spread, differentiation grade of the tumor, and recurrence and survival rates. A total of 100 studies were identified. Meta-analysis revealed a clear association between intraperitoneal free cancer cells and a poor prognosis. intraperitoneal free cancer cells -positive patients had higher rates of nodal spread (risk difference: 0.29; p<0.01), serosal invasion (risk difference: 0.43; p<0.01), recurrence (after 60 months of follow-up, risk difference: 0.44; p<0.01), and mortality (after 60 months of follow-up, risk difference: 0.34; p<0.01). Intraperitoneal free cancer cells are associated with a poor outcome in gastric cancer. This surrogate biomarker should be used to guide therapy both prior to and after surgery.

Prognostic Significance of Molecular Analysis of Peritoneal Fluid for Patients with Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Accurately distinguishing serosal invasion in patients with gastric cancer (GC) prior to surgery can be difficult. Molecular analysis of peritoneal fluid (MAPF) for free cancer cells with higher sensitivity than other methods; however, its prognostic value for GC remains controversial, precluding its application in clinical practice.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE and other databases were systematically searched. Thirty-one studies were eligible for the meta-analysis. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and peritoneal recurrence-free survival (PRF).

Results

The current meta-analysis focused on patients with GC and negative cytological diagnoses. The results showed that positive MAPF status (MAPF⁺) led to poorer prognoses for OS (HR 2.59, 95% CI 1.99–3.37), DFS (HR 4.92, 95% CI 3.28–7.37) and PRF (HR 2.81, 95% CI 2.12–3.72) compared with negative MAPF status (MAPF^-). Moreover, among the patients with GC who received curative treatment, the MAPF⁺ patients had poorer prognoses for OS (HR 3.27, 95% CI 2.49–4.29), DFS (HR 3.90, 95% CI 2.74–5.57) and PRF (HR 5.45, 95% CI 3.70–8.03). A meta-analysis of multivariate-adjusted HRs demonstrated that MAPF⁺ status was an independent prognostic factor for patients with GC who underwent curative treatment (OS: HR 2.19, 95% CI 1.47–3.28; PRF: HR 3.44, 95% CI 2.01–5.87). Using the identical target genes (CEA, CEA/CK20) as molecular markers, the patients with GC who were MAPF⁺ had significantly worse prognoses for OS (CEA: HR 3.03, 95% CI 2.29–4.01; CEA/CK20: HR 4.24, 95% CI 2.42–7.40), DFS (CEA: HR 3.99, 95% CI 2.24–7.12; CEA/CK20: HR 4.31, 95% CI 1.49–2.48) and PRF (CEA: HR 4.45, 95% CI 2.72–7.31; CEA/CK20: HR 6.46, 95% CI 3.62–11.55) than the patients who were MAPF^-.

Conclusion/Significance

The above results demonstrate that MAPF could be a prognostic indicator for patients with GC who have a negative cytological diagnosis and/or are receiving curative treatment. MAPF could provide clinicians with additional prognostic information that could aid in developing individualized treatment plans prior to surgery. The widely used target genes CEA, CEA/CK20 were confirmed to be valuable MAPF markers for predicting the prognosis of GC.

Free intraperitoneal tumor cells and outcome in gastric cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Despite continuously improving therapies, gastric cancer still shows poor survival in locally advanced stages with local recurrence rates of up to 50% and peritoneal recurrence rates of 17% after curative surgery. We performed a systematic review with meta-analyses to clarify whether positive intraperitoneal cytology (IPC) indicates a high risk of disease recurrence and poor overall survival in gastric cancer.

METHODS

Multiple databases were searched in December 2014 to identify studies on the prognostic significance of positive intraperitoneal cytology in gastric cancer, including: Medline, Biosis, Science Citation Index, Embase, CCMed and publisher databases. Hazard ratios (HR) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted from the identified studies. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model on overall survival, disease-free survival and peritoneal recurrence free survival.

RESULTS

A total of 64 studies with a cumulative sample size of 12,883 patients were included. Cytology, quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or both were performed in 35; 21 and 8 studies, respectively. Meta analyses revealed free intraperitoneal tumor cells (FITC) to be associated with poor overall survival in univariate (HR 3.27; 95% CI 2.82 - 3.78]) and multivariate (HR 2.45; 95% CI 2.04 - 2.94) analysis and poor peritoneal recurrence free survival in univariate (4.15; 95% CI 3.10 - 5.57) and multivariate (3.09; 95% CI 2.02 - 4.71) analysis. Subgroup analysis showed this effect to be independent of the detection method, Western or Asian origin or the time of publication.

CONCLUSIONS

FITC oder positive peritoneal cytology is associated with poor survival and increased peritoneal recurrence in gastric cancer.

State-of-the-art methods in clinical diagnosis and treatment of peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors and presents a very high mortality. The main reason for this situation is metastasis after curative resection, with the most common type being peritoneal metastasis, which accounts for more than 50% of all cases. Once peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) happens, the pathological stage is stage IV and there is a grim prognosis. Accordingly, early effective prevention and treatment of PC have extremely important clinical significance for the improvement of the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. This article describes the pathogenesis, clinical diagnosis using serum biomarkers and image examinations, as well as multimodality treatment of peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer by neoadjuvant intraperitoneal-systemic chemotherapy (NIPS), cytoreductive surgery+hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS+HIPEC), early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC), extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage (EIPL), molecular targeting therapy, and usage of drug delivery systems.

New approaches to gastric cancer staging: Beyond endoscopic ultrasound, computed tomography and positron emission tomography

Currently, there is no single gold standard modality for staging of gastric cancer and several methods have been used complementarily in the each clinical situation. To make up for the shortcomings of conventional modalities such as endoscopic ultrasound, computed tomography and ¹⁸F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography, numerous attempts with new approaches have been made for gastric cancer staging. For T staging, magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band was evaluated to differentiate mucosal cancer from submucosal cancer. Single/double contrast-enhanced ultrasound and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging were also tried to improve diagnostic accuracy of gastric cancer. For intraoperative staging with sentinel node mapping, indocyanine green infrared and fluorescence imaging was introduced. In addition, to detect micrometastasis, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction system with multiple markers was studied. Staging laparoscopy using 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic diagnosis and percutaneous diagnostic peritoneal lavage were also evaluated. However, most studies reporting new staging methods is preliminary and further studies for validation in clinical practice are needed. In this mini-review, we discuss new progress in gastric cancer staging. Especially, we focus on new diagnostic approach to gastric cancer staging beyond the conventional modalities and briefly review the remarkable clinical results of the studies published over the past three years.

The critical role of peritoneal cytology in the staging of gastric cancer: an evidence-based review

Positive peritoneal cytology (Cyt+) is an important staging tool for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. The objective of this review is to evaluate the current literature regarding cytology evaluation in patients with gastric cancer and to provide recommendations on the inclusion of this powerful prognosticator in patients with this disease. A literature search was performed for recent and pertinent studies evaluating peritoneal cytology in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma. Peritoneal cytology as the only evidence for M1 disease is present in up to 10% of patients with locally advanced gastric cancer; survival in the setting of Cyt+ is dismal when gastrectomy is the first line of therapy. Improved survival is associated with response to chemotherapy indicated by conversion to negative cytology, good performance status, and antral tumors. Highly select patients with Cyt+ treated with gastrectomy show improved survival in only some of the available studies. There are high quality studies that support the routine practice of peritoneal cytology evaluation in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer. The role of gastrectomy remains unclear in patients with Cyt+ and clinical trials are needed to define the best treatment option for this select group of patients.

Survival benefit of traditional chinese herbal medicine (a herbal formula for invigorating spleen) in gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis

Objective. We evaluated the efficiency of traditional Chinese herbal medicine (a compound herbal formula for invigorating spleen) as a complementary and alternative therapy for gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis. Methods. Between 2001 and 2012, 93 gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis were enrolled in this study. The effect of traditional Chinese herbal medicine on their long-term outcome was investigated. Kaplan-Meier method was used to assess the difference in survival time, and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. Result. First-line palliative chemotherapy plus traditional Chinese herbal medicine was performed in 47 patients and the other 46 patients received chemotherapy alone. The overall survival was different between patients with and without traditional Chinese herbal medicine (12.0 versus 10.5 months; P = 0.046). According to the Cox proportional hazard model, first-line chemotherapy cycle (hazards ratio [HR] = 0.527; 95% CI = 0.323~0.860) and TCHM (hazards ratio [HR] = 0.644; 95% CI = 0.481~0.992) were selected as independent prognostic factors for survival. Conclusion. The results suggest that traditional Chinese herbal medicine could improve the prognosis of the gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis.

A prospective clinical trial of diagnostic peritoneal lavage for peritoneal cytology in patients with gastric cancer

AIM: To assess the safety and feasibility of diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) in gastric cancer patients and determine whether DPL can be used to assess peritoneal cytology in patients with gastric cancer.

METHODS: Patients with gastric adenocarcinoma were prospectively enrolled to undergo DPL prior to diagnostic laparoscopy (DL). Saline was instilled through a percutaneous catheter and fluid was collected for cytology (DPL-cyt). Washings obtained during DL were used as controls (DL-cyt).

RESULTS: DPL was successful in 22 of 27 patients (81.5%). Among the 22 cases of successful DPL, 12 had positive cytology (54.5%). Positive DPL-cyt specimens were consistent with DL-cyt specimens in 12/12 cases (specificity = 100%).

CONCLUSION: DPL is a safe method for detecting positive cytology in patients with gastric cancer.

Prognosis and treatment of patients with positive peritoneal cytology in advanced gastric cancer

Positive peritoneal cytology in gastric cancer is classified as M1 disease by the 7^th Edition of American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system. With the introduction of laparoscopy and peritoneal washing cytology in the staging of gastric cancer a new category of patients has been identified. These are patients with no macroscopic peritoneal metastases but with peritoneal cytology positive (P0C1). Prognosis and treatment of such patients represent a controversial issue. We evaluate the state of the art of staging system in gastric cancer and discuss standardisation in staging and treatment procedures. There is still a lack of uniformity in the use of laparoscopy with peritoneal cytology in clinical decision making and in the surgical treatment for gastric cancer. Survival of this patient subset remains poor. Multimodal therapies and new therapeutic strategies are required to improve the survival of these patients.

Prospective clinical trial of diagnostic peritoneal lavage to detect positive peritoneal cytology in patients with gastric cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Positive peritoneal cytology equates M1 disease in patients with gastric cancer. Diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL) is a proven test to detect occult visceral injury in trauma patients. The objective of this study is to determine whether DPL can be used to assess peritoneal cytology in patients with gastric cancer.

METHODS

Patients with gastric adenocarcinoma were prospectively enrolled to undergo DPL prior to diagnostic laparoscopy (DL). Saline was instilled through a percutaneous catheter and fluid was collected for cytology (DPL-cyt). Washings obtained during DL were used as controls (DL-cyt).

RESULTS

DPL was successful in 22/27 patients (81.5%). Among the 22 successful DPLs, 12 had positive cytology (54.5%). Positive DPL-cyt specimens matched DL-cyt specimens in 12/12 cases (specificity = 100%). One of 10 cases with negative DPL-cyt was positive on the final DL-cyt (sensitivity = 92%). There were six patients with negative DPL-cyt who had visible M1 disease diagnosed with DL (DPL evaluation of M1 disease, sensitivity 54.5%, specificity = 100%).

CONCLUSIONS

DPL is a safe method of detecting positive cytology in patients with gastric cancer, however gross M1 disease may be missed without visual inspection. The specific role of DPL in the staging workup of patients with gastric cancer remains to be determined.