Survival after complete cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC for extensive pseudomyxoma peritonei

The optimal treatment for pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) combines complete cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Yet, achieving CRS is challenging in the case of extensive involvement of the peritoneal cavity and the survival benefit in this setting remains uncertain. The present study evaluated the surgical outcomes according to the peritoneal extent.

Between 1992 and 2014, 245 patients underwent CRS and HIPEC for PMP in our institution. Their characteristics were reviewed using a prospective database. Extensive PMP was defined as a peritoneal cancer index (PCI) ≥ 28. Sixty-one patients with extensive PMP were compared to 184 with non-extensive PMP.

Severe complications were more frequent in the extensive group (46% vs. 23%, p < 0.001) but the post-operative mortality was not significantly different (8% vs. 3%, p = 0.1). The 5-year disease-free survival reached 45% in the extensive and 78% in the non-extensive group (p < 0.0001). The 5-year overall survival was 70% and 90% in the extensive and non-extensive group respectively (p < 0.021).

CRS with HIPEC offers prolonged survival even in the case of extensive PMP. Because of the high rate of surgical morbidity in the extensive group, patients should be carefully selected.