A historical perspective on colorectal liver metastases and peritoneal carcinomatosis: similar results, different treatments.

Similarities between peritoneal carcinomatosis and liver secondaries allow the oncologist to regard the peritoneum as an intraabdominal structure that can, like the liver, be resected with curative intent when disseminated disease has occurred. The possibility for cure of peritoneal carcinomatosis by cytoreductive surgery and IPHC must now be recognized. However, convincing data from controlled studies will be required for rapid general acceptance of this treatment, bringing, as a consequence, a chance of cure to a larger number of patients with a desperate prognosis. This fact, together with a scarcity of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis eligible for definitive treatment, emphasizes the need for cooperative studies between centers of reference.