Intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia with mitomycin C for digestive tract cancer patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Background: Most patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis of digestive tract origin die within 6 months. Intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia (IPCH) associated with surgery has been reported as a possible new therapeutic approach.

Methods: A prospective Phase II trial was carried out with 83 patients who had digestive tract cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis to evaluate the tolerance and efficacy of IPCH with mitomycin C (MMC) associated with surgery. Eighty-six IPCH treatments with MMC were given as complementary therapy after surgery (peritoneal perfusate with a 10 mg/L dose of MMC; inflow temperature, 46-49 degrees C; use of a closed circuit; duration, 90 minutes). Primary tumors were mainly gastric (in 42 cases) or colorectal (in 27 cases).

Results: Mortality and morbidity occurred in 3 of 83 cases and 8 of 83 cases, respectively. For patients with resectable tumors, the median survival time was 16 months when carcinomatosis was Stage I and II (malignant granulations less than 5 mm in greatest dimension), whereas it was 6 months when carcinomatosis was Stage III and IV (malignant granulations more than 5 mm in greatest dimension). For patients with resectable gastric cancer and Stage I and II carcinomatosis, 1-, 2-, and 3-year actuarial survival rates were 80%, 61%, and 41%, respectively, whereas the rate was 10% at 1 year for patients with bulky disease (Stage III and IV).

Conclusions: IPCH appears to be a promising new approach to treating patients with digestive tract cancers and peritoneal carcinomatosis with small, malignant granulations (Stage I and II).