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Body Cavity Effusions and Washings

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Practical Cytopathology

Part of the book series: Practical Anatomic Pathology ((PAP))

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Abstract

Body cavity effusions refer to excess fluid that accumulates in the peritoneal, pleural, or pericardial cavity. Body cavity washings often include intraoperative peritoneal or pelvic washings. Cytologic evaluation of body cavity fluids plays an important role in the detection of metastatic diseases, as well as primary body cavity-based lesions. It is crucial to distinguish malignant from benign effusions/washings as the presence of malignant cells may affect diagnosis and staging of malignancies, and ultimately influence treatment of patients. This chapter aims to answer commonly encountered questions regarding cytologic diagnoses of effusions/washings associated with common and uncommon malignancies, as well as a few benign conditions. Cytomorphological features will be demonstrated along with discussions of the practical use of ancillary tests.

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Acknowledgment

The author thanks Brian Smola, senior cytotechnologist at University of Michigan for proofreading and editing the chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, University of Michigan-Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Xin Jing

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  1. Xin Jing
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Correspondence to Xin Jing .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA

    Huihong Xu

  2. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Xiaohua Qian

  3. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    He Wang

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Jing, X. (2020). Body Cavity Effusions and Washings. In: Xu, H., Qian, X., Wang, H. (eds) Practical Cytopathology . Practical Anatomic Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24059-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24059-2_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-24058-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-24059-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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