Cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemo-hyperthermia for chemo-resistant and recurrent advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: prospective study of 81 patients.

Purpose: There is no standardized treatment for patients with chemo-resistant or recurrent advanced ovarian cancer. Locoregional treatments combining cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemohyperthermia (HIPEC) may improve survival for locoregional disease.

Patients And Methods: A prospective single center study of 81 patients with recurrent or chemo-resistant peritoneal carcinomatosis from ovarian cancer was performed. Patients were treated by maximal cytoreductive surgery combined with HIPEC (with cisplatinum at 20 mg/m(2)/L). A total of 47 patients were included for their third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or seventh surgical look. Altogether, 54 patients presented with extensive carcinomatosis (malignant nodules of >5 mm).

Results: Complete macroscopic resection (CCR-0) was achieved in 45 patients. Mortality and morbidity rates were 2.5% and 13.6%, respectively. With a median follow-up of 47.1 months, the overall and disease-free median survivals were 28.4 and 19.2 months, respectively. Carcinomatosis extent and completeness of cytoreduction (p = 0.02 and p <0.001, respectively) were identified as independent prognostic factors. For CCR-0 patients, overall and disease-free survivals were 54.9 and 26.9 months, respectively.

Conclusion: Salvage therapy combining optimal cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC may achieve long-term survival in selected patients with recurrent or chemo-resistant ovarian cancer. This strategy may be most effective in patients with limited carcinomatosis or when cytoreductive surgery provides sufficient downstaging.