Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy in nonresectable carcinomatosis from colorectal cancer

Peritoneal carcinomatosis colorectal cancer unfortunately represents a frequently encountered condition during the natural history of this malignancy which has been considered for a long period of time as a terminal event. However, once new surgical and oncological therapies have been reported significant changes have been reported in the management of these cases. Therefore, cytoreductive surgery to no residual disease as a stand-alone procedure or in association with intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy has been proposed and significant benefits in terms of survival have been reported; unfortunately not all patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis are candidates for this combined approach, especially if extended, nonresectable lesions are present. In such cases pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) has been proposed with promising results. The aim of the current paper is to review the most important studies conducted on this issue