Regional but fatal: Intraperitoneal metastasis in gastric cancer

Peritoneal carcinomatosis appears to be the most common pattern of metastasis or recurrence and is associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients. Many efforts have been made to improve the survival in patients with peritoneal metastasis. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy remains a widely accepted strategy in the treatment of peritoneal dissemination. Several phase II-III studies confirmed that the combined cytoreducitve surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy resulted in longer survival in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. In addition, proper selection and effective regional treatment in patients with high risk of peritoneal recurrence after resection will further improve prognosis in local advanced gastric cancer patients.