STUDY OF THE TOXICITY AND RESULTS OF INTR APERITONEAL HYPERTHERMIC PERFUSION IN 28 PATIENTS WITH PERITONEAL CARCINOMATOSIS

Based on a few previous studies, intra-peritoneal hyperthermic perfusi on (IPHP) with Mitomycin C could become a beneficial treatment for per itoneal carcinomatosis. Twenty eight patients with peritoneal carcinom atosis arising from intraabdominal cancers were treated by IPHP. Mitom ycin C, diluted in 3 liters of saline solution warmed to a mean temper ature of 45 degrees C, was injected into the abdominal cavity for one hour. Median survival for the whole series (postoperative mortality in cluded) was 260 days. For patients with incomplete resection, median s urvival was 104 days. For patients with complete resection of carcinom atous nodules larger than 3 mm (19 patients), it was 450 days. In this group, actuarial survival was 56% at I year and 42% at 2 years. Only 5 (18%) of the 28 patients developed ascitic effusion during follow-up . These results confirm the efficacity of IPHP on ascitic effusion and on survival rate in patients with nearly complete resection of perito neal carcinomatosis.