Disparities and Health Care Delivery for Patients with Peritoneal Surface Malignancy

Management of peritoneal surface malignancy (PSM) is complex and requires care at a PSM center. Despite the reported benefit of cytoreductive surgery (CRS)/ hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) across PSM primaries, the uptake nationwide is low. The reasons are multifaceted and related to factors that disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities, rural residents, and other socially vulnerable patient populations. There are significant misperceptions of CRS/HIPEC in the treatment of PSM and the potential benefit for appropriately selected patients. Much work is needed to improve patient and provider education and to expand the reach of expert PSM management to vulnerable patients.