Background: The efficacy of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (PIC) for patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) remains to be established.
Methods: Searches for all relevant studies prior to March 2006 were performed on six databases. Two reviewers independently appraised each study using a predetermined protocol. The quality of each study was assessed. Clinical effectiveness was synthesized through a narrative review with full tabulation of results of all included studies.
Results: Ten most recent updates from each institution were included for appraisal and data extraction. There were no randomized controlled trials or comparative studies. All included articles were observational studies without control groups. Five studies were relatively large series (n>or=100). Two studies had relatively long-term follow-up (48 months and 52 months). The median follow-up in the remaining eight studies was shorter than 3 years (range 19-35 months). The median survival ranged from 51 to 156 months. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates varied from 80 to 100%, 76 to 96%, 59 to 96% and 52 to 96%, respectively. The overall morbidity rate varied from 33 to 56%. The overall mortality rates ranged from 0 to 18%.
Conclusions: This study reviewed current evidence on CRS and PIC for PMP. Only observational studies were available for evaluation, which demonstrated some promising long-term results, as compared to historical controls. Due to the rarity of this disease, a well-designed prospective multi-institutional study would be meaningful.