Safe performance of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in patients with HIV infection.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patients with HIV (PHIV) are living longer with the adoption of anti-retroviral therapy. As such, more patients are presenting with advanced cancer diagnoses, including peritoneal surface malignancies. The objective of this study was to assess the safety of CRS/HIPEC in this cohort of patients. CASE Five PHIV were identified, four of whom underwent CRS/HIPEC. Primary sites of disease were low-grade appendiceal mucinous tumors in three patients and peritoneal mesothelioma in the other. Operative time ranged from 7 to 14 h. One patient developed a Clavien grade II complication postoperatively. There was no instance of neutropenia identified. One patient died of disease 19 months after surgery; the remaining three patients are alive 11, 21, and 33 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that CRS/HIPEC can be performed in PHIV without prohibitive complications and operative recovery approximates that of non-HIV patients. Though more study is needed, HIV should not preclude a patient from being offered CRS/HIPEC.