Advances in surgery for peritoneal surface malignancies

Currently, patients with isolated peritoneal surface malignancies are treated with a combination of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). This combination should now be considered the standard of care for appendiceal cancers (including pseudomyxoma), colorectal cancer and peritoneal mesothelioma, while patients with peritoneal metastases from ovarian or gastric cancer may be treated within clinical trials. At present, 8 clinical centres in Poland perform CRS and HIPEC. The unanswered problems of combined intraperitoneal therapy were an impulse for the organization of the 4th International Conference “Advances in Surgical Oncology” that was held on November 23-24, 2017, in Lublin (Poland), and the Polish chapter of the Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International (PSOGI) was established as a result of this meeting. This special issue of the Current Issues in Pharmacy and Medical Sciences is dedicated to the current therapeutic difficulties discussed during the two days of the conference – experiences that were exchanged to set in motion further directions for the improvement of intraperitoneal treatment

Data on the quality of life after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal malignancies: does it concern patients with gastric cancer?

Introduction. So far there are no reports devoted exclusively to the quality of life after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in metastatic gastric cancer. Current literature concerning this issue was, thus, reviewed in order to: 1) search for such data concerning metastatic gastric cancer; 2) assess if the latest reviews evenly pertain to all peritoneal surface malignancies; and 3) conclude if they are a reliable source of data for patients with metastatic gastric cancer

Treatment of peritoneal metastases from gastric carcinoma

Patients with advanced gastric cancer and positive peritoneal cytology and/or peritoneal dissemination are deemed to be incurable and to hold dismal prognosis. So far, the only treatment option for these patients has been palliative systemic (chemo)therapy. However, for the last three decades, great progress has been made in attempts to treat (potential) peritoneal dissemination by means of complete cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) after preoperative systemic therapy. This review is focused on the recent achievements of this multimodal strategy. Additionally, the review stands as background for the 4th International Conference “Advances in Surgical Oncology” that was held at the Medical University of Lublin (Poland) in November 2017, and dedicated to cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC for advanced gastric cancer

Outcomes of liver transplant for colorectal liver metastasis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) for nonresectable colorectal liver metastasis (NRCRLM) has become accepted for select patients meeting strict inclusion criteria. Advancements in patient selection and understanding of cancer biology may expand benefits to patients with colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM). In this meta-analysis, we sought to assess survival outcomes, recurrence patterns, and quality of life (QoL) after LT for CRLM.Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted to obtain pooled overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates and to compare QoL from baseline. Continuous data were analyzed, and standardized mean differences were reported. Results: Overall, 16 studies (403 patients, 58.8% male sex) were included. The pooled 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS after LT for NRCRLM was 96% (95% CI: 92%-99%), 77% (95% CI: 62%-89%), and 53% (95% CI: 45%-61%), respectively. Moreover, the pooled 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS was 58% (95% CI: 43%-72%), 33% (95% CI: 9%-61%), and 13% (95% CI: 4%-27%), respectively. Overall, 201 patients (49.8%) experienced recurrence during the follow-up period with the lungs being the most common site (45.8%). There was no significant differences in physical and emotional functioning, fatigue, and pain components of QoL at 6 months after LT compared with baseline (all P \u3e .05).Conclusion: LT for NRCRLM demonstrated good OS outcomes with no differences in the QoL at 6 months after transplantation. Transplantation may represent a viable treatment option for NRCRLM