The role of cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) progresses rapidly and has historically dismal survival rates. Given the aggressive tumor biology and poor survival outcomes of patients with GC/PC, additional treatments beyond systemic chemotherapy are needed. Cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy have been effective management options for peritoneal surface malignancies, with increasing data to support their use in GC/PC. This review highlights the evolution of the surgical treatment of GC/PC, and discusses critical studies supporting the role of cytoreductive surgery, appropriate patient selection, and various methods in the delivery of intraperitoneal chemotherapy for patients with GC/PC.