Initial experience with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Background: Until 2004, we treated peritoneal carcinomatosis with cytoreductive surgery accompanied by perioperative systemic chemotherapy. From October 2004, we decided to initiate a hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) program for this condition.
Objective: To determine the effect of HIPEC on postoperative outcomes at a single institution performing a high volume of cancer operations.
Method: Sixty consecutive patients underwent cytoreductive surgery plus HIPEC (oxaliplatin; 460 mg/m2 in 2 L/m2) from October 1, 2004, through December 31, 2010. Usual perioperative factors were studied for 3 groups of patients who underwent HIPEC: 0 to 20 HIPEC procedures (period 1), 21 to 40 HIPEC procedures (period 2), and 41 to 60 HIPEC procedures (period 3).
Results: The mean peritoneal carcinomatosis index was 9.6, the mean duration of surgery was 410.7 minutes, and the mean blood loss was 450.2 mL/L. Mortality and morbidity were 0% and 33%, respectively. Grade III/IV morbidity (P = .02), transfusion (P < .01), and reintervention rate (P = .04) significantly decreased during the 3 periods. No difference was seen between the 3 periods with regard to mean peritoneal carcinomatosis index, operative duration, blood loss, mortality, overall morbidity, length of hospital stay, and readmission. The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of 26 patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis originating from colorectal cancer were 100%, 51%, and 37%, respectively. The overall median survival was 39 months.
Conclusions: We observed a significant reduction of grade III/IV morbidity, perioperative transfusion, and reintervention rate after 20 procedures. The introduction of the HIPEC program was successful because of the surgical team's prior experience in cytoreductive and cancer operations.