[Evaluation of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in stage IV gastrointestinal cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short term and long term therapeutic effects of intraperitoneal versus intravenous chemotherapy in 56 cases with stage IV gastrointestinal cancer. METHODS: The patients were randomly divided into two groups: 35 cases in the intraperitoneally treated group and 21 cases in the intravenously treated group. The short term effects and side effects were observed. The survival time of the patients was also recorded. The survival function was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method, and the significance test was done by Log rank method. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the two groups in short term effects, and liver and kidney damages. Nausea, vomiting and bone marrow suppression were more severe in the intravenously treated group, while abdominal distension and pain were the major side effects in the intraperitoneally treated group. The median survival time and one year survival rate of patients in the intraperitoneally treated group were higher than those in the intravenously treated group. CONCLUSION: For patients with stage IV gastrointestinal cancer, intraperitoneal administration of chemotherapeutic agents is a better treatment of choice.