Perioperative fast track program in intraoperative hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) after cytoreductive surgery in advanced ovarian cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Diffuse peritoneal dissemination in advanced ovarian cancer can be treated using optimal effort surgery involving peritonectomy procedures and the administration of hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). OBJECTIVE: To report on our experience in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer using peritonectomy procedures and HIPEC through the fast track program. PATIENTS AND METHOD: From September 2008 until May 2010, forty-six patients with primary advanced (stage III-C) or recurrent ovarian cancer have been included in the fast track protocol if they had optimal cytoreduction CC-0 or CC-1 accompanied by HIPEC and there had no more than one digestive anastomosis. RESULTS: The mean peritoneal cancer index (PCI) was 12.35 (3-21). The median operation time was 380 min (200-540). Optimal surgery CC-0 was achieved in 38 of the 46 patients and CC-1 in the remaining 8. Mean postoperative hospital stay was 6.94 ± 1.56 days (3-11). Major morbidity rates were 15.3%. Paralytic ileus was the most frequent of these. There was no mortality related to the procedure. CONCLUSION: Surgery with peritonectomy procedures and HIPEC in advanced ovarian carcinoma is possible under fast track surgery programs in patients with low volume peritoneal carcinomatosis. Prospective and randomized studies are needed.

Improving the waiting list by using 75-year-old donors for recipients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The best treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with liver cirrhosis is liver transplantation and the best results are obtained when the tumors fulfill the Milan criteria. However, although the number of transplants is increasing, the organ deficit is growing, which lengthens time on the waiting list, increasing the risk of tumor progression of and exclusion from the list. The use of elderly donors is a valid option for patients on the transplant waiting list with HCC, reducing time on the waiting list. We report our experience with patients transplanted for HCC associated with hepatic cirrhosis using livers from donors >75 years of age. Our preliminary results supported the use of elderly suboptimal donors making it possible to give priority to these patients. All patients in the series achieved good graft function after a follow-up of 2 years with a 100% disease-free survival rate. More extensive long-term studies are needed to confirm these findings.