Intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the management of colon cancer

Intraperitoneal delivery of cytotoxic agents active in the treatment of colon cancer has the potential to significantly increase the exposure to these drugs to cancer present within the peritoneal cavity or liver. To date, few well-controlled clinical trials have been conducted to test the relative efficacy of this strategy compared with systemic drug delivery. A major issue is the small number of useful cytotoxic agents in colon cancer, and the limited ability of the drugs to penetrate directly into tumor tissue following regional delivery. Intraperitoneal antineoplastic drug administration has its greatest therapeutic potential as an adjuvant treatment strategy for individuals with colon cancer and a high risk for recurrence in the peritoneal cavity or liver.