The use of irrigating solutions following the completion of various types of cancer surgery prior to wound closure is not a new concept.1 Although not a new concept, it is surprising that wound washing has been so infrequently used as an adjunct in cancer control, even by leaders in the cancer field. Only recently has the idea of washing cancer wounds with various solutions gained momentum.2-4 Recent work showing the relatively high incidence of cancer cells found in wound washings obtained after cancer surgery indicated the need in the minds of those working with the problem.5
At the American Oncologic Hospital we have, for the past 22 years, employed as a routine procedure the irrigation of all wounds prior to closure, following such operations as radical neck dissection, radical groin dissection, radical mastectomy, radical parotidectomy, and radical resections of complicated skin carcinomas with skin flaps and/or skin