Normothermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy long term (NIPEC-LT) in the management of peritoneal surface malignancy, an overview

BACKGROUND: Peritoneal metastases from gynecologic and gastrointestinal cancer is of increasing interest to surgical and medical oncologists because of newly recognized benefits of treatment. In contrast to prior outcomes, prolonged disease-free survival and cure have been reported. METHODS: To date, the benefits are to use complete surgical removal of the peritoneal metastases combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) delivered in the operating room. To supplement the local-regional control, normothermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy used long term (NIPEC-LT) and delivered by an intraperitoneal port has been explored. RESULTS: In three high grade malignancies with the preponderance of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and HIPEC treatment failures within the peritoneal space, NIPEC-LT has been favorably reported in the oncology literature. In ovarian cancer and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma the NIPEC-LT is used an adjuvant treatment in an attempt to preserve a surgical complete response of CRS. In gastric cancer, NIPEC-LT is given as a neoadjuvant treatment with responders going on to radical surgical resection. Responses are monitored by laparoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: This overview highlights benefits of NIPEC-LT in three diseases where benefits from CRS and HIPEC have been recognized but that local-regional failures persist. Improved results with NIPEC-LT have been reviewed for ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, and peritoneal mesothelioma.