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Updated: Jun 27, 2026
Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion (PHP) with Melphalan as a Treatment for Unresectable Metastases Confined to the Liver
Published on: July 31, 2016
Preoperative performance status predicts outcome following heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy
Nathaniel P Reuter1, Jay M Macgregor, Charles E Woodall
1Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
Background:
Peritoneal carcinomatosis has a typical natural history of bowel obstruction and death. Significant evidence suggests that cytoreduction with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) improves long-term survival for these tumors.
Methods:
A retrospective case series of patients who underwent initial HIPEC treatment was performed at 2 moderate-volume centers. Clinicopathologic data were reviewed and univariate analyses performed to determine predictors of periprocedural complications.
Results:
Twenty-eight patients underwent HIPEC procedures. The most common pathologies were colonic adenocarcinoma and pseudomyxoma peritonei. The median preoperative peritoneal cancer index was 9.5. Thirteen patients had 34 complications, with no postoperative deaths. Pleural effusion and wound infection were the most common complications. Preoperative performance status and the extent of disease were predictive of complications.
Conclusions:
Cytoreduction and HIPEC can be done at moderate-volume centers with morbidity and mortality rates comparable with published results from large-volume centers. Preoperative performance status and the extent of disease predict postoperative complications.