The most favorable prognosis in advanced ovarian cancer is related to the quality of the first surgery, and more specifically, to the possibilities of achieving a complete macroscopic cytoreduction of the disease. Furthermore, a complete cytoreduction is not enough, because a great number of viable cells will remain in the peritoneal cavity after surgery and will be responsible for the recurrence of the disease. To improve the prognosis and to be effective in the treatment of this microscopic component of ovarian cancer, the use of intraperitoneal chemotherapy has been established. Postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy and hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) have been the most studied modalities. Postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy was shown to be a treatment that improved survival after primary surgery. Problems related to systemic toxicity, complications associated with the use of the intraperitoneal catheter, and the fact that it is a complex treatment within the care organization have difficulted its widespread use at present.
1 HIPEC could be the appropriate alternative for the administration of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer but needs to be validated through randomized, phase III, clinical trials. …
