National Cancer Institute-United States strategy regarding intraperitoneal chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.

On the basis of three large randomized phase III trials, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) issued a Clinical Announcement in January 2006 recommending that women with optimally debulked stage III ovarian cancer and their physicians consider a combination of intravenous (IV) and intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy. The combination of IV and IP chemotherapy is associated with a clinically significant benefit in survival, although it does also confer an increased risk of toxicity compared to IV chemotherapy alone. The NCI Clinical Announcement was issued as part of a broader educational campaign, designed in conjunction with professional societies, cancer centers, Clinical Trials Cooperative Groups, and cancer advocacy organizations. The further development of IP chemotherapy in ovarian cancer requires additional clinical and translational research.