peritoneal cancer
Meaning of peritoneal cancer: Peritoneal cancer develops in the thin membrane lining the abdominal cavity, and more often reflects cancer that has spread there from another organ.
Definition of peritoneal cancer
Peritoneal cancer is cancer that involves the peritoneum, the thin membrane lining the wall of the abdominal cavity and covering most of the organs it contains. A primary peritoneal cancer begins directly in cells of this lining and is closely related, at the cellular level, to certain ovarian cancers, since the peritoneum and the outer surface of the ovary develop from similar tissue during early development.
Far more often, cancer found in the peritoneum has spread there from another organ, commonly the ovary, colon, stomach, or appendix, a pattern known as peritoneal carcinomatosis. Because the peritoneal cavity forms one continuous surface surrounding many organs, cancer cells can implant and grow across this lining rather than forming a single confined mass.
This spreading pattern can lead to a buildup of fluid within the abdomen, called ascites, and can affect the function of several nearby organs at once. Evaluating peritoneal cancer generally involves determining whether the disease began in the peritoneum itself or spread there from elsewhere, since that distinction affects how far the disease has already progressed.
Used in a sentence
Imaging revealed peritoneal cancer with associated ascites in a patient previously treated for ovarian cancer.
Good to know
Peritoneal cancer found on imaging or biopsy is more often a secondary spread from a cancer such as ovarian or colorectal cancer than a primary cancer of the peritoneum itself, a distinction confirmed through pathology review.
Word origin
Where “peritoneal cancer” comes from
Formed from Greek peri-, meaning around, and teinein, meaning to stretch, together describing the peritoneum, the membrane stretched around the abdominal organs; cancer comes from Latin cancer, meaning crab.