Your peritoneal cavity is the area of the abdomen that houses the intestines, liver and stomach. During a peritoneal washing, doctors bathe this cavity with a saltwater solution that's later removed and tested for cancer cells.
Ah ok. I'm not sure if I had this done. I wasn't told about it so they might have done.
There may be someone on here who can provide some light on this, but better still call your CNS as they are medically trained to advise in your particular case.
It’s an optional thing that some surgeons do, often on a case by case basis. it’s done to help assess whether the cancer may have started to spread to the peritoneal cavity. I had a peritoneal wash done during my hysterectomy and it came back negative which means no cells were found in the wash. It’s just an extra possible indicator which can help build a bigger picture.
Did you Google for that mollysue? Just a tip, if you use the search facility on this site you can find other mentions of any terms you want to clarify - on here is a lot better than googling. I have mentioned peritoneal washings in my posts before.
Although peritoneal washing may be performed to help with someone’s prognosis and treatment plan, clinical evidence to support the value of this, particular with early-stage endometrial cancer, remains clinically controversial.
