Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy as an innovative approach to treat peritoneal carcinomatosis

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) is difficult to treat and many efforts have been made to identify effective and safe treatments. One hypothetical way to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy regarding tumor eradication or tumor control is to apply chemotherapeutic agents into the abdomen in the form of a pressurized aerosol, taking advantage of the physical properties of gas and pressure. This new approach for treatment of PC is based on the assumption that (1) intraabdominal application of chemotherapy under pressure will enhance tumor drug uptake and (2) aerosolizing and spraying chemotherapy will enhance the area of peritoneal surface covered by the drug, (3) resulting in an improved anti-tumor efficacy. Ex vivo and in vitro models have tested this approach and have demonstrated good peritoneal cavity coverage, deep peritoneal drug infiltration, and technical feasibility. Occupational safety of this procedure has also been established. First evidence in humans with peritoneal cancer from ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, appendiceal cancer, and pseudomyxoma peritonei has been obtained suggesting clinical antitumor activity and procedural safety of repeated pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) with cisplatin and doxorubicin. We hypothesize that PIPAC can effectively treat PC and will hence become part of the surgical and chemotherapeutical treatment spectrum of this disease in the future.