What is intraperitoneal chemotherapy?
Oct 30, 2024
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Qi Zhirong
Introduction
In general, intraperitoneal chemotherapy may be indicated for reasons such as increasing local drug concentration, reducing systemic side effects, advanced ovarian cancer, gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis, and colon cancer with intraperitoneal dissemination. During treatment, the patient's physical condition and potential side effects should be closely monitored, and appropriate measures should be taken to manage them.
In general, intraperitoneal chemotherapy may be related to increasing local drug concentration, reducing systemic side effects, and treating advanced ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, and colon cancer. If any discomfort occurs, prompt medical consultation is recommended. The specific analysis is as follows:
1. Increased Local Drug Concentration
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy delivers drugs directly to the site of the tumor, allowing higher drug concentrations around the tumor tissue. This high concentration enhances the effectiveness of killing cancer cells and improves treatment outcomes, while minimizing drug distribution throughout the body and reducing systemic side effects.
2. Reduced Systemic Side Effects
Many chemotherapeutic agents are highly toxic to organs such as the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, and liver. By administering drugs locally, intraperitoneal chemotherapy reduces the amount of drug entering systemic circulation, thereby lowering toxicity to other organs and minimizing adverse effects.
3. Advanced Ovarian Cancer
Advanced ovarian cancer may result from genetic factors, endocrine factors, and environmental influences. As the tumor has widely spread, systemic chemotherapy often has limited efficacy in these patients. Symptoms commonly include decreased appetite and rectal bleeding. In such cases, intraperitoneal chemotherapy serves as an effective local treatment method, acting directly on tumor tissues to alleviate symptoms and prolong survival. It is recommended that patients receive intraperitoneal chemotherapy with medications such as cisplatin injection, carboplatin injection, or paclitaxel injection under physician guidance.
4. Gastric Cancer
Gastric cancer is primarily caused by genetic predisposition, Helicobacter pylori infection, and poor dietary habits—such as high salt intake and consumption of preserved foods. Cancer cells may detach and implant onto the peritoneum, forming peritoneal metastases. Common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and difficulty eating. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy allows direct delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to peritoneal metastatic sites, improving treatment efficacy. Patients may undergo intraperitoneal chemotherapy using fluorouracil injection, gemcitabine hydrochloride for injection, or liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride injection as directed by their physicians.
5. Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is associated with high-fat diets, genetic factors, inflammatory bowel disease, and polypoid lesions. Cancer cells may spread via lymphatic or hematogenous routes to other organs within the abdominal cavity, forming multiple metastatic lesions. Typical symptoms include abdominal mass and vomiting. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy increases local drug concentration at tumor sites and prolongs contact time between the drug and cancer cells, thereby enhancing therapeutic effectiveness. Under medical advice, patients may use oxaliplatin injection, irinotecan hydrochloride injection, or tegafur injection for intraperitoneal chemotherapy.
Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is an effective treatment approach, particularly suitable for malignant tumors within the abdominal cavity and their metastatic lesions. Prior to treatment, a comprehensive patient assessment—including liver and kidney function and cardiac status—is necessary to ensure treatment tolerance. During therapy, close monitoring of the patient's condition and potential side effects is essential, with appropriate interventions implemented as needed.
