Is cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy indicated in hepatobiliary malignancies?

BACKGROUND

Hepatopancreaticobiliary malignancies with peritoneal carcinomatosis exhibit poor survival with current therapies: hepatocellular carcinoma 11 months with sorafenib, and pancreaticobiliary 9-14 months with systemic chemotherapy. However, limited data exist on the utility of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in these patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed our institutional hepatopancreaticobiliary malignancies with peritoneal carcinomatosis which underwent cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy from 2007 to 2017 and analyzed perioperative and oncologic outcomes.

RESULTS

Seventeen patients were included: 9 hepatocellular carcinoma, 8 pancreaticobiliary (4 cholangiocarcinoma, 3 gallbladder, 1 pancreatic). Peritoneal cancer index, number of organs resected, completeness of cytoreduction, and 30-day morbidity were equivalent. Hepatocellular carcinoma received significantly less neoadjuvant therapy (11%, p = 0.008), though adjuvant therapy rates were similar. At a median follow-up of 15 months, progression-free survival was similar amongst all cohorts. However, overall survival was longer in hepatocellular carcinoma (42 months vs. cholangiocarcinoma 19 months, gallbladder 8 months, pancreatic 15 months, p = 0.206) with 59% 3-year overall survival (vs. 0% cholangiocarcinoma, 0% gallbladder, 0% pancreatic).

CONCLUSIONS

Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy may offer a survival benefit in select hepatocellular carcinoma patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis, though has dubious utility in pancreaticobiliary malignancies.