Intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the treatment of ovarian cancer

Over the past decade the intraperitoneal administration of chemotherapeutic agents has evolved from a pharmacokinetic concept into a rational treatment strategy for a selected group of women with advanced ovarian cancer. A recently reported large randomized controlled clinical trial has confirmed that the intraperitoneal administration of cisplatin is associated with superior efficacy and less toxicity than intravenous cisplatin in patients receiving initial chemotherapy for advanced small-volume residual ovarian cancer. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is also a reasonable therapeutic option in women with very-small-volume residual disease following an initial response to a platinum-paclitaxel systemic chemotherapy programme. On the basis of the data available to date, further exploration of a role for intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the management of ovarian cancer is indicated.