Pelvic perfusion hyperthermia for advanced pelvic malignancies.

Pelvic perfusion hyperthermia (PPH) for malignant gynecologic diseases in the pelvis was performed for four hours with favorable results. Serial monitoring of chemotherapeutic drug concentrations in the blood, tissues and circuit showed that the drugs were satisfactorily incorporated into the tumor bearing area and that the systemic leak was minimal with no demonstrable systemic side effects. The temperature of the tumor was kept between 41.8 degrees C and 42.7 degrees C for over three hours. The esophageal temperature was maintained below 40 degrees C throughout the procedure. In one patient, there was an eighty percent reduction in tumor size and in the other, a complete regression of the tumor. We conclude that the PPH is a procedure that warrants further attention as an adjunct to cancer therapy for malignant pelvic tumors.