Phase I trial of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in patients undergoing cytoreduction for advanced intra-abdominal malignancy
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008.
Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2008 May;15(5):1407-13. Epub 2007 Dec 22. [Link]
Harrison LE, Bryan M, Pliner L, Saunders T.
Division of Surgical Oncology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, 185 South Orange Ave, Newark, NJ 07103, USA. L.Harrison@umdnj.edu
Abstract
Background: Cytoreduction coupled with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an attractive treatment option for a select group of patients with abdominal-only malignancy. The present phase I study examined the safety and pharmacokinetics of intraperitoneal pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) used in the context of HIPEC in patients with advanced abdominal-only malignancies.
Methods: Patients with advanced abdominal malignancies underwent maximal cytoreduction and HIPEC with escalating doses of PLD (15-100 mg/m(2)). Perfusate, serum, and tissue doxorubicin levels were measured in five patients undergoing HIPEC at the maximum tolerated dose.
Results: Twenty-one patients were enrolled in this trial. The maximum dose evaluated in this trial was 100 mg/m(2) and was well tolerated. The most common grade 3/4 complications were superficial wound infection and prolonged ileus. One patient developed an anastomotic leak in the postoperative period, requiring re-exploration. The median postoperative length of stay was 7 days (range, 4-29 days), three patients required readmissions within 30 days, and there were no operative mortalities The median follow-up time for was 13.7 months (range, 3-38 months). The median overall survival was 30.6 months with a median disease-free survival of 25 months.
Conclusions: We report that HIPEC with PLD following maximal cytoreduction in patients with advanced abdominal-only gastrointestinal or gynecologic malignancies is well tolerated. Encouraging survival after cytoreduction and HIPEC with PLD suggest that a phase II trial to verify activity is indicated.
Glossary
- oncology
- (on-call-o-jee) the branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
- grade
- The grade of a cancer reflects how abnormal it looks under the microscope. There are several grading systems for cancer, such as the Gleason score for prostate cancer. Each grading system divides cancer into those with the greatest abnormality (poorly differentiated), the least abnormality (well-differentiated), and those in between (moderately differentiated). Grading is done by the pathologist who examines the tissue from the biopsy. It is important because higher grade cancers tend to grow and spread more quickly and have a worse prognosis.
- chemotherapy
- (key-mo-THER-uh-pee) treatment with drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often used with surgery or radiation to treat cancer when the cancer has spread, when it has come back (recurred), or when there is a strong chance that it could recur.
- tissue
- a collection of cells, united to perform a particular function.
- intraperitoneal chemotherapy
- (IPC) a form of regional chemotherapy; the flooding of the abdominal cavity with chemotheraputic drugs to target the cancer cells directly. It is sometimes heated to improve absorption of the anticancer drugs by the cancerous cells and because heat itself can kill cancer cells.

