Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) for Ovarian Cancer: Evaluation of Side Effects in a Single Institution Cohort.

Background/aim: Peritoneal carcinomatosis is a sign of advanced ovarian cancer. If cytoreductive surgery results in a tumor-free situation with the remaining tumor being less than 0.25 cm, Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) may further improve prognosis.

Patients And Methods: Patients with ovarian cancer and peritoneal carcinomatosis underwent cytoreductive surgery. In 43 patients with optimal tumor debulking, HIPEC was performed. The peri- and post-operative course was observed. Adverse events were recorded after the Clavien-Dindo classification.

Results: The median age of the patients was 56 years, the median peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was 13, and the median operation time was 356 min. There was no postoperative surgery associated death. No adverse events were recorded in 16 (37.2%) of 43 patients, no grade III or IV adverse events were reported for 33 (76.7%) patients, and no grade IV adverse events were reported for 41 (95.3%) patients. Grade III adverse events occured in 19 (44.2%) of the 43 patients. Grade IV adverse events occured in 3 (7.0%) of the 43 patients.

Conclusion: In ovarian cancer, multiple surgical procedures may be necessary in order to have macroscopically eradicated tumor tissue. The combination with HIPEC, further improves survival of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis.