Comparison of the therapeutic effects of continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion with systemic intravenous chemotherapy

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness and safety of intravenous cisplatin (DDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) alone or in combination with continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion (CHPP) for the treatment of malignant ascites.
Methods: In the study, 124 patients with tumour-induced malignant ascites were assign to test and control groups according to the sequence of their hospital visits. Patients in the test group were treated with intravenous DDP and 5-FU combined with CHPP, whereas patients in the control group were only treated with DDP and 5-FU. The treatments in both groups lasted for 4 weeks. Thereafter, treatment efficacy, remission of abdominal distension, ascites, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score, and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.
Results: The overall response rates of the test and control groups were 85.50 (53/62) and 35.50 % (22/62), respectively, and the difference was significant (p < 0.05). Patients in the test group showed significant reduction in abdominal distension and markedly reduced ascites compared to the controls. The improvement in KPS score was superior in the test group (p < 0.05). No treatment-associated complications, such as intestinal adhesions or obstruction and grade III or IV toxic and side reactions, were found in either group. The incidence of adverse reactions was lower in the test group than in the controls.
Conclusion: Chemotherapy in combination with CHPP is safe and effective for patients with advanced malignant tumours and ascites should be promoted clinically.

Keywords
Malignant ascites; Continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion; Systemic intravenous chemotherapy