Definition

A serious condition in which cancer, usually of the digestive tract or female reproductive organs, spreads and causes tumors to grow on the peritoneum. The peritoneum is the tissue that lines the abdominal wall and covers most of the organs in the abdomen. Peritoneal carcinomatosis can happen in many types of cancer, but it is most common in people with cancers of the ovary, colon, rectum, stomach, pancreas, or appendix.