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Role of Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in the Front-Line Setting

From the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center and the Department of Hematology/Medical Oncology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH.

Address reprint requests to Maurie Markman, MD, Department of Hematology/Medical Oncology (R-35), The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195; email: markmam{at}ccf.org.

During the last several decades, clinical investigators have confirmed the safety and pharmacokinetic advantage associated with the intraperitoneal delivery of a number of antineoplastic agents with known activity in ovarian cancer. Phase II experience has revealed that objective responses, including surgically documented complete remissions, can occur when regional drug delivery is used as second-line treatment of this malignancy. Three randomized trials have shown that when cisplatin-based intraperitoneal treatment is used in the front-line setting, it results in superior progression-free and overall survival compared with intravenous cisplatin. Despite these facts, an ultimate role for regional drug delivery as initial treatment of ovarian cancer will require additional trials to define how to optimize the use of this unique therapeutic strategy.