Gynecologic Oncology
Luis Felipe Falla-Zuniga, MD (he/him/his)
Research Fellow
Mercy Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Luis Felipe Falla-Zuniga, MD (he/him/his)
Research Fellow
Mercy Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Armando Sardi, MD, FACS (he/him/his)
Medical Director
The Institute for Cancer Care, Mercy Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Armando Sardi, MD, FACS (he/him/his)
Medical Director
The Institute for Cancer Care, Mercy Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Felipe Lopez-Ramirez, MD (he/him/his)
Research Fellow
The Institute for Cancer Care, Mercy Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Mary Caitlin King, BS
Clinical Research Supervisor
Mercy Medical Center, United States
Vladislav Kovalik, MD (he/him/his)
Research Fellow
Mercy Medical Center, Maryland, United States
Sergei Iugai, MD (he/him/his)
Research Fellow
Mercy Medical Center
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Kathleen Pawlikowski, BA
Research Coordinator
Mercy Medical Center, United States
Carol Nieroda, MD
Research Advisor
Mercy Medical Center, Maryland, United States
Teresa Diaz-Montes, MD, FACOG
Associate Director
The Lya Segall Ovarian Cancer Institute, Mercy Medical Center, Maryland, United States
Vadim Gushchin, MD, FACS
Director, HIPEC Program at Mercy
Mercy Medical Center, Maryland, United States
Small bowel obstruction (SBO) occurs in ~30% of ovarian cancer (OC) patients and is associated with readmission, debilitating symptoms, and death within one year of presentation. Cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) is an effective strategy for peritoneal disease control. We investigated the impact of CRS/HIPEC on SBO and obstruction-free survival (OFS) in primary OC patients.
Methods:
A retrospective (2014-2022) single-center cohort study of stage III/IV primary OC patients treated with optimal CRS with and without HIPEC was performed. Patients who underwent upfront CRS/HIPEC vs CRS alone were paired 1:1 with exact matching for histology (high-grade serous [HGS] vs non-HGS) and optimal propensity score matching (PSM) for age ( >65 years), FIGO stage (III vs IV), and surgery year. Kaplan-Meier overall (OS), progression-free (PFS), and OFS were compared using a stratified log-rank test. OFS was measured from surgery to SBO/death.
Results:
After PSM, 33 patients were included per group. American Society of Anesthesiologist score was similar between groups (p=0.4). CRS/HIPEC patients had longer median operative time (396 [IQR: 357-458] vs 301 [IQR: 234-396] minutes, p< 0.01), higher bowel resection with anastomosis rates (87.9% [n=29] vs 48.5% [n=16], p< 0.01), and longer median hospital stay (10 [IQR: 9-13] vs 7 [IQR: 5-12] days, p< 0.01). Clavien-Dindo 90-day major postoperative complications (p=0.07) and mortality rates (p=1.00) were similar between groups. After median follow up of 61.3 months, SBO occurred in 18.2% (n=6) CRS/HIPEC vs 39.4% (n=13) CRS only patients (p=0.08). The majority of SBO were diagnosed by abdominal CT (CRS/HIPEC: 83.3% [n=5], CRS: 76.9% [n=10]), a partial obstruction (CRS/HIPEC: 66.7% [n=4], CRS: 53.8% [n=7]), and managed conservatively (CRS/HIPEC: 66.7% [n=4], CRS: 76.9% [n=10]). Median OFS was 71.6 (95%CI: 30.89-not reached) vs 20.0 (95%CI: 6.7-49.8) months (p=0.03). Median time to death after initial SBO was 64.3 vs 36.2 months (p=0.08) with a 1-year survival rate of 83.3% vs 69.2%, respectively. CRS/HIPEC patients had a significantly longer 5-year PFS (44.0% vs 8.0%, p< 0.01), but not OS (71.6% vs 39.6%, p=0.06) (Figure 1).
Conclusions:
SBO after CRS/HIPEC for upfront OC is not uncommon; however, it occurred less frequently, was delayed, and had a lower 1-year mortality compared to CRS alone. The addition of HIPEC can provide long-term peritoneal disease control in OC patients. Prospective clinical trials are needed.