Safe performance of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in patients with HIV infection
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Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Percutaneous Hepatic Perfusion PHP with Melphalan as a Treatment for Unresectable Metastases Confined to the Liver
Published on: July 31, 2016
Anna Coghill1,2,3, Julian Sanchez3,4, Sweta Sinha2
1Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida, USA.
Background:
Patients with HIV (PHIV) are living longer with the adoption of anti-retroviral therapy. As such, more patients are presenting with advanced cancer diagnoses, including peritoneal surface malignancies. The objective of this study was to assess the safety of CRS/HIPEC in this cohort of patients.
Case:
Five PHIV were identified, four of whom underwent CRS/HIPEC. Primary sites of disease were low-grade appendiceal mucinous tumors in three patients and peritoneal mesothelioma in the other. Operative time ranged from 7 to 14 h. One patient developed a Clavien grade II complication postoperatively. There was no instance of neutropenia identified. One patient died of disease 19 months after surgery; the remaining three patients are alive 11, 21, and 33 months postoperatively.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that CRS/HIPEC can be performed in PHIV without prohibitive complications and operative recovery approximates that of non-HIV patients. Though more study is needed, HIV should not preclude a patient from being offered CRS/HIPEC.
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