Adverse effects of intraperitoneal fluorouracil in patients with optimal residual ovarian cancer after second-look laparotomy: a Gynecologic Oncology Group Study.

Twenty-seven patients with ovarian cancer who had failed combination chemotherapy were offered intraperitoneal (IP) fluorouracil (5-FU) as salvage therapy in an attempt to ascertain the efficacy of such a therapeutic method. All patients had minimal residual epithelial cancer. The median number of treatment cycles was six. Major problems with dialysate inflow and egress occurred in ten patients and required discontinuation of therapy. An additional ten patients experienced hematologic toxicity with a median nadir WBC of 2,300/microL. Therapy was altered but not discontinued because of this complication. Other adverse sequelae, such as abdominal pain, were manageable with medication. IP 5-FU is technically feasible on a multiinstitutional basis in residual ovarian cancer, but its therapeutic role remains to be defined.