Background: Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a novel technique of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. First results obtained with PIPAC in patients with advanced peritoneal metastasis (PM) from gastric cancer (GC) are presented.
Methods: Retrospective analysis: Sixty PIPAC were applied in 24 consecutive patients with PM from GC. 67 % patients had previous surgery, and 79 % previous platinum-based systemic chemotherapy. Mean Peritoneal Carcinomatosis Index (PCI) of 16 ± 10 and 18/24 patients had signet-ring GC. Cisplatin 7.5 mg/m(2) and doxorubicin 1.5 mg/m(2) were given for 30 min at 37 °C and 12 mmHg at 6 week intervals. Outcome criteria were survival, adverse events, and histological tumor response.
Results: Median follow-up was 248 days (range 105-748), and median survival time was 15.4 months. Seventeen patients had repeated PIPAC, and objective tumor response was observed in 12 (12/24 = 50 %): no vital tumor cells = 6, major pathological response = 6, minor response = 3. Postoperative adverse events > CTCAE 2 were observed in 9 patients (9/24, 37.5 %). In 3/17 patients, a later PIPAC could not be performed due to non-access. Two patients (ECOG 3 and 4) died in the hospital due to disease progression.
Conclusion: PIPAC with low-dose cisplatin and doxorubicin was safe and induced objective tumor regression in selected patients with PM from recurrent, platinum-resistant GC. First survival data are encouraging and justify further clinical studies in this indication.
Keywords: Cisplatin; Doxorubicin; Gastric cancer; Intraperitoneal chemotherapy; Peritoneal metastasis; Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy.