Aims: A new treatment strategy combining maximal cytoreductive surgery for treatment of macroscopic disease and maximal perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy for residual microscopic disease, suggests that in a selected group of patients benefit is possible. The purpose of this study was to report our experience with this combined treatment and to identify the principal prognostic factors.
Methods: The study included 266 patients from 9 institutions operated on between July 1990 and July 2004. The median age was 55 years.
Results: The mortality rate was 7.8% and the morbidity rate 37.5%. The overall median survival was 13.7 months. Positive independent prognostic factors by multivariate analysis were gender, perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy and treatment by the second-look procedure.
Conclusions: The therapeutic approach combining cytoreductive surgery with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy achieved long-term survival in a selected group of patients with an acceptable morbidity and mortality.