Radical resection and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in the treatment of high risk recurrent retroperitoneal sarcoma-A pilot study in a tertiary Asian centre

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 19; no. 4; p. e0300594
• Main Authors: Seo, Chin Jin, Tan, Joey Wee-Shan, Farid, Mohamad, Wong, Jolene Si Min, Soo, Khee Chee, Chia, Claramae Shulyn, Ong, Chin-Ann Johnny
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 04-04-2024; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biology and Life Sciences; Cancer; Care and treatment; Combined Modality Therapy; Cytoreduction Surgical Procedures; Excision (Surgery); Humans; Hyperthermia, Induced - methods; Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy; Medicine and Health Sciences; Methods; Peritoneal Neoplasms - surgery; Pilot Projects; Relapse; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms - surgery; Sarcoma; Sarcoma - drug therapy; Sarcoma - surgery; Singapore
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300594
• EISSN: 1932-6203

Peritoneal sarcomatosis (PS) is a difficult entity to treat with limited options and guarded prognosis. We aimed to determine if the addition of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) could offer superior local recurrence-free survival in patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma at high risk of developing PS as opposed to extended resection alone.
This is a single arm, phase II intervention study where all patients with recurrent localized retroperitoneal sarcoma considered at high risk of developing PS were considered for enrolment (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03792867). Upon enrolment, patients underwent vigorous preoperative testing to ensure fitness for the procedure. During surgery, patients underwent extended resection and HIPEC with doxorubicin. Patients were followed-up every 2 weeks (± 10 days) for the first month and subsequently every three months (± 1 month) up to a year post-surgery, and were assessed for potential chemotherapy toxicity and post-treatment complications. After a year from resection and HIPEC, patients were followed-up either during routine clinic review or contacted via telephone every year (± 1 month) for 3 years.
Six patients were recruited but one patient dropped out due to adverse and unexpected intraoperative events. The remaining patients completed the procedure uneventfully. Post-HIPEC, all patients recurred with a disease-free interval ranging from six to 24 months. Three patients died due to complications from recurrent disease whereas the remaining three patients are alive as of their last visit. The overall survival at time at reporting ranged between 22 to 56 months.
The procedure is feasible with no major morbidity to patients. However, we are unable to recommend for it to be implemented as a routine procedure at this current stage due to lack of improved survival outcomes. Further multi-institutional studies may be conducted to yield better results.