Intraperitoneal chemotherapy for ovarian cancer:a question of feasibility?

Increasing the tumor concentration of chemotherapeutic agents by local administration seems one logical approach to increase the efficacy of treatment. This approach is actively pursued in ovarian cancer, which allows local, intraperitoneal drug administration. In this commentary we put into perspective a recent study of Rothenberg et al. [J. Clin. Oncol. 21 (2003) 1313-1319] reporting on IP administration of a combination of cisplatin and paclitaxel. We argue that feasibility of IP administration of chemotherapy should not preclude its application. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.