Progress in Relevance of Milky Spots and Peritoneal Carcinomatosis

Milky spots(MS) are widely located in mammalian peritonea and mainly composed of mesothelial cells, vascular endothelial cells, macrophages in different stages of maturation, B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes, mast cells and stromal cells. Peritoneal malignant tumor cells enter MS as they exfoliate from primary tumor lesions, colonize within them, and establish micro-metastasis, leading to peritoneal carcinomatosis(PC). This review summarizes the anatomy, histology, physiology and pathology of MS and explores the relationship between MS and PC.