Published online Sep 7, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i33.7478
Peer-review started: April 19, 2016
First decision: May 12, 2016
Revised: May 15, 2016
Accepted: June 15, 2016
Article in press: June 15, 2016
Published online: September 7, 2016
Peritoneal carcinomatosis appears to be the most common pattern of metastasis or recurrence and is associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients. Many efforts have been made to improve the survival in patients with peritoneal metastasis. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy remains a widely accepted strategy in the treatment of peritoneal dissemination. Several phase II-III studies confirmed that the combined cytoreducitve surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy resulted in longer survival in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis. In addition, proper selection and effective regional treatment in patients with high risk of peritoneal recurrence after resection will further improve prognosis in local advanced gastric cancer patients.
Core tip: The recurrence rate of gastric cancer after surgery within 2 years remains at 79%. Gastric cancer patients with peritoneal metastases have a median survival of only 3.1 mo. Understanding the influence of peritoneal metastasis on survival in gastric cancer patients, the potential molecular mechanism of peritoneal metastasis, and individualized treatment of patients with high risk of peritoneal metastasis is essential for selecting effective treatment strategies in advanced gastric cancer. In this review, we summarized translational and clinical researches on peritoneal carcinomatosis, providing comprehensive information to better understand the fatal role of peritoneal metastasis in gastric cancer.