[Tumor cell seeding caused by hysteroscopy?]

Abstract

154 patients suffering from endometrial carcinoma who underwent CO2-hysteroscopy pretherapeutically, were examined as to whether hysteroscopy lead to tumour cell spread to the peritoneal cavity and worsened the prognosis of the patients. For that purpose, both fallopian tubes of 118 women were investigated thoroughly by histology for intratubarian spread of tumourous cells. Only in one of the 118 patients a single tumour cell complex was detected inside the ampullar part of a fallopian tube. Comparing the investigated patients with data from the literature in terms of five-year survival rates and frequency of relapses, our collective showed the same outcome as those from the literature. These results prove, that the prognosis of endometrial carcinoma is not worsened by CO2-hysteroscopy.