Both heat and new chemotherapeutic drug dioxadet in hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion improved survival in rat ovarian cancer model

Background and Objectives Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) at the time of Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) is an actively researched treatment in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Relative contribution of heat and chemotherapeutic agents during HIPEC as well as efficacy of a new agent dioxadet for regional chemotherapy in a rat model of ovarian cancer was studied. Methods Sixty rats were divided into three groups: no treatment control group (n = 19), hyperthermia without chemotherapy (HIPEP) (n = 14), HIPEC + cisplatin (n = 14), HIPEC + dioxadet (n = 13). The intra‐abdominal tumor was not resected. End points were: median survival (primary), cause of death (secondary). Results The median survival of the animals in the control group, HIPEP group, HIPEC + cisplatin, HIPEC + dioxadet were 9 (CI; 8–23), 22.5 (CI; 12–43), 25.5 (CI; 13–62), 49 (Cl; 28–70) days, respectively. The P‐values control versus HIPEP, HIPEC + cisplatin versus HIPEC + dioxadet were 0.006, 0.002, and 0.001, respectively. Conclusion During HIPEC both the heat and the cytotoxic drug had antitumor effects in a rat ovarian cancer model. Dioxadet showed potential as a drug for regional chemotherapy. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;113:438–442. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.