Intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy after cytoreduction in patients with peritoneal metastases from endometrial cancer. The next frontier?

BACKGROUND

Endometrial cancer is the most common malignancy of the female genital tract. For cancers detected at an advanced stage or intraperitoneal relapse, the prognosis is poor. Optimal cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is the most accepted treatment; however, patients with advanced intraperitoneal disease might benefit from hyperthermic intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). The aim of this study was to analyze recurrence-free survival (RFS) after CRS and HIPEC in a large series of patients with peritoneal metastases from endometrial cancer.

METHODS

Patients with a diagnosis of endometrial cancer with primary or recurrent peritoneal dissemination were included. All patients underwent CRS plus HIPEC. Data were prospectively collected in the Spanish Group of Peritoneal Oncological Surgery (GECOP) database.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients with endometrial cancer and peritoneal metastasis were included. Fifteen patients (35%) were diagnosed with G3 endometrioid carcinomas and 28 (65%) with other non-endometroid histologies. A completeness of cytoreduction score of CC-0 was achieved in 41 patients (95%). RFS at 5 years was 23%, being factors related to worse RFS: treatment with preoperative chemotherapy (p = 0.027), resection of more than three peritoneal areas (p = 0.010), cytoreduction of the upper abdominal space (p = 0.023), HIPEC treatment with paclitaxel (p = 0.013), and the presence of metastatic lymph nodes (p = 0.029).

CONCLUSIONS

Better RFS rates after CRS and HIPEC were observed for patients with the following characteristics: cytoreductive surgery without preoperative chemotherapy, complete surgery performed with limited surgical maneuvers, treated with cisplatin, and no lymph node metastases.

SYNOPSIS: Endometrial cancer has a poor prognosis when diagnosed at advance stage. Patients with intraperitoneal metastases from endometrial cancer may benefit from CRS plus HIPEC with improvement in the recurrence-free survival results.