Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The major goal of intraperitoneal (i.p.) cancer treatment is the generation of optimal concentrations of antitumor agents at the site of the tumor. Maximal local antitumor effects must be attained with minimal systemic levels of the anticancer agents. This is true for both regional chemotherapy and regional immunotherapy. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy has been used, with limited success for about 30 years. This mode of therapy is complex and the modest results are probably largely due to procedure associated problems and the fact that it has been applied mostly in a setting with a large tumor burden. The ideal moment to apply i.p. therapy may well be in the adjuvant setting, immediately after resection of the primary tumor in ovarian or gastrointestinal cancer. In this way, most problems associated with i.p. therapy after debulking for recurrent disease such as tumor load, adhesions, unequal distribution of the drug, drug resistance and subperitoneal disease can be circumvented, and no extra surgical procedures for the placement of the catheter will be required.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: