Aims: Hyperthermic intrapritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) seems to be a promising solution against development of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) complicating some cases of colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to report the prophylactic effect of HIPEC against PC after radical resection of CRC.
Methods: This prospective randomized comparative study included patients who presented to the Surgery Department of Zagazig University Hospitals with operable CRC with high risk of developing PC during the period from Januarys 2013 and June 2014. These patients were randomly divided into two groups; each one was 25 in number. One group was treated with surgery alone while the other was managed with HIPEC following surgery. Our patients were followed up till December 2016 to detect PC (mean follow-up period was 39 months).
Results: There were statistically significant difference between both groups in which application of HIPEC following radical surgery decreases the incidence of PC recurrence (p = 0.039). On the other hand, postoperative complications demonstrated that cardiorespiratory complications (p = 0.042) and length of hospital stay showed significant higher incidence in the HIPEC group (p= 0.046) whereas other complications as wound complications showed no statistically significant difference between two groups (p = 0.15).
Conclusion: HIPEC has a remarkable prophylactic effect against PC recurrence and should be tried in CRC patients as long as no contraindications for this chemotherapeutic based procedure.