Introduction:
Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a well-established procedure commonly employed in the management of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) from tumors of various specific origins. However, it is not traditionally used in the management of PC of pancreatic origin due to various reasons, including the aggressive nature of pancreatic tumors.
Case presentation:
A 67-year-old female presented with a large amount of intractable malignant ascites. Computed tomography (CT) imaging showed a nodule in the right paracolic gutter. A diagnostic laparoscopy and omental biopsy showed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of pancreatic origin. She was initially not considered suitable for CRS and HIPEC due to apparent liver metastases on CT imaging and was arranged to undergo palliative chemotherapy; however, due to her large amount of refractory ascites and a suspected ruptured right krukenberg tumor, surgical intervention was offered. We performed CRS, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and an omentectomy with a CC (completeness of cytoreduction) score of 1. HIPEC with mitomycin C was also administered. Notably, our patient remains clinically well at 48-months post CRS and HIPEC, with no signs or symptoms suggestive of tumor recurrence.
Conclusion:
Despite the current lack of evidence supporting the use of CRS and HIPEC in the curation of PC of pancreatic origin, this case report highlights the importance of patient selection in determining suitability for CRS. In the presence of positive prognostic factors and favorable tumor histology, CRS and HIPEC is a potential curative procedure that could be offered to highly selected patients presenting with PC from a primary pancreatic malignancy.