Quality of life after intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC) forperitoneal carcinomatosis

Aims: This study assessed the functional status and quality of life (QOL) o f patients with disseminated peritoneal cancer (DPC) before and after cytor eductive surgery plus intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC). Methods: Patients with confirmed or suspected diagnosis of gastro-intestina l cancer including stomach, pancreas, hepatobiliary and colorectal cancer w ith peritoneal implants were enrolled in the study. Sixty-four patients com pleted the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Colon (FACT-C) scale and several other instruments at baseline. Forty-eight, 40, 39 and 31 patients were assessed at approximately 2 weeks post-surgery, and 3, 6 and 12 month s respectively. Results: There was a significant overall effect on the physical (P = 0.0025 ), emotional (P<0.0001) and functional well-being (P=0.0044) subscales and the FACT-C (P=0.0076). Physical and functional well-being scores decreased at post-surgery follow-up and increased relative to baseline at 3, 6 and 12 months. Nineteen per cent, 46%, 59% and 74% of patients resumed greater th an 50% of their normal activities post-operatively at 3, 6 and 12 months re spectively. A percentage of patients reported depressive symptoms: baseline (28%), post-operatively (33%), 3 months (23%), 6 months (21%) and 12 month s (29%). Conclusions: Cytoreductive surgery followed by IPHC was well tolerated. Mos t patients returned to baseline or better levels of functioning within 3 mo nths post-treatment. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.