[Serum levels of mitomycin C following a high-dose continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion]

Valid therapeutic means have not been established for treatment of disseminated peritoneal metastasis of carcinoma. Continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion (CHPP) with high-dose of mitomycin-C (MMC) was applied to 26 patients with peritoneal metastasis from gastric, rectal or ovarian cancers. Levels of MMC in the sera and in the perfusate were measured. The results obtained were: 1. Approximately a half of the dose of MMC added into the perfusion fluid was recovered. 2. When perfused with 100 mg of MMC, the maximum serum concentration of MMC was equivalent to 1/3 of the maximum serum level when injected with 10 mg of MMC intravenously. Therefore, MMC which could not be detected in CHPP seemed to be retained in the abdominal cavity. 3. Bone marrow inhibition caused by CHPP was observed in only 2 of 26 patients. 4. The total dose of 300 mg of MMC, consisting of the maximum dose of 100 mg each, is acceptable in CHPP without any severe side effect. 5. CHPP exerts antitumor effects when utilizing hyperthermia and a high-dose of MMC on the disseminated peritoneal foci of carcinoma.