Between 1977 and 1986, 325 patients with a diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma, peritoneal cancer, or malignant mesothelioma were reviewed with identification of 23 patients (7%) having peritoneal papillary cancer. Only 2 patients had disease confined to the pelvis and the rest had widespread abdominal disease. Various combination chemotherapeutic agents were used with over a 65% response rate to first-line chemotherapy. Twenty of the 23 patients received cisplatin combination chemotherapy with an overall response rate of 65%.