Cytologic examination of ovarian cyst fluid for the distinction between benign and malignant tumors.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of using cytologic examination of ovarian cyst fluid for distinguishing between benign and malignant tumors.
Methods: Cyst fluid was aspirated at surgery in 83 women with benign and 35 women with malignant (25 invasive and ten borderline) ovarian tumors and submitted for routine cytologic examination.
Results: The specificity of the cytologic examination was 100%, but the sensitivity and negative predictive value were only 26 and 76%, respectively.
Conclusion: The low sensitivity and negative predictive value of cytologic cyst fluid examination preclude its use for the distinction between benign and malignant ovarian tumors.