Ascites do not affect the rate of complete cytoreductive surgery and prognosis in patients with primary ovarian cancer with ascites treated with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is the current standard therapy procedure for patients with advanced ovarian cancer (OC), but numerous patients with OC are complicated with ascites. The aim of the present study was to assess whether massive ascites affect the rate of complete CRS and prognosis for patients with primary OC treated with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Between December 2006 and December 2015, 1,293 patients with primary OC from the Intracelom Hyperthermic Perfusion Therapy Center of the Cancer Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University prospective database were treated with CRS combined with HIPEC. A total of 1,225 patients were without malignant ascites or small amounts of ascites and 68 had massive malignant ascites. The rate of complete CRS, overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS) and resolution of ascites for patients with massive ascites were analyzed between patients without/small ascites, and with massive ascites. Complete CRS was successful in 86.8% (1,063/1,225) of patients without/small ascites, and 85.3% (58/68) of patients with massive ascites. No statistical differences were identified in complete CRS success between patients with ascites and patients without/small ascites (P=0.080). For patients with massive ascites, all symptoms exhibited regression; the total objective remission rate was 100% (68/68), even for patients with incomplete CRS (10/68) (P=0.100). The mean OS was 58 months and the mean DFS was 26 months in patients without/small ascite, vs. 57 months and 28 months in patients with massive ascites. No significant differences were noted in median DFS and median OS between patients with ascites, and patients without/small ascites (All P>0.05). In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that ascites does not affect the rate of complete CRS and the prognosis of patients with massive ascites following HIPEC. CRS is suitable for the majority of patients with primary OC and massive ascites.