Retrospective study of CRS/HIPEC versus palliative systemic chemotherapy alone for peritoneal metastases from PDAC in selected patients

Peritoneal metastases (PM) from pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are currently treated with palliative systemic chemotherapy alone, with unsatisfactory results. Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) may provide an oncologic benefit for selected patients. A retrospective study at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN) compared CRS/HIPEC versus systemic chemotherapy among matched patients who met inclusion/exclusion criteria for CRS/HIPEC. Median OS from PM diagnosis in patients who underwent systemic therapy alone was 19 months, while median OS in patients who underwent CRS/HIPEC was 41 months (p=0.002). The authors conclude that CRS/HIPEC in selected patients with PDAC and PM resulted in promising oncologic outcomes that were not achieved with systemic chemotherapy alone.