Systemic chemotherapy in addition to CRS-HIPEC for colorectal peritoneal metastases: A critical systematic review on the impact on overall survival

J Surg Oncol. 2024 Sep 11. doi: 10.1002/jso.27849. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

In patients with resectable colorectal peritoneal metastases, it is unclear whether systemic chemotherapy, in addition to cytoreductive surgery-hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC), improves overall survival (OS). This systematic review of 12 retrospective studies involving 3721 patients aimed to summarize the available evidence. Contradictory results were found regarding the effectiveness of neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and perioperative systemic therapies on OS, with a high risk of bias. Available evidence remains inconclusive, stressing the need for prospective, randomized trials, like the ongoing Dutch CAIRO6-trial.

Keywords: CRS‐HIPEC; colorectal cancer; overall survival; peritoneal metastases; systematic review; systemic chemotherapy.

Publication types

  • Review