Peritoneal Metastases: Evolution from a Dark Horizon to an Encouraging Present and a Promising Future

Our plain-English summary of Peritoneal Metastases: Evolution from a Dark Horizon to an Encouraging Present and a Promising Future, by M. Diez-Alonso, A. San-Juan, M.A. Ortega, et al (Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2023).

The study

• Authors: M. Diez-Alonso, A. San-Juan, M.A. Ortega, A. Gutiérrez-Calvo
• Journal: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Published: 2023;12(24)
• Type of article: Editorial
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Peritoneal metastasis (PM) is the primary pattern of metastasis for primary tumours of the appendix, ovary, and peritoneal mesothelioma [...].

In plain English

This article was an editorial, not an original study, and it reported no new data of its own. The authors gave an overview of how treatment for peritoneal metastasis, the spread of cancer to the lining of the abdomen, has changed. They noted that this pattern of spread is the main one for tumours of the appendix and ovary and for peritoneal mesothelioma. The editorial described cytoreductive surgery, with or without heated chemotherapy delivered into the abdomen during the operation (HIPEC), along with newer drugs. It discussed clinical trials run by other research groups, mostly in colorectal, gastric and ovarian cancer. The authors stated that cytoreductive surgery combined with HIPEC is currently the first treatment option for several groups, including patients with peritoneal mesothelioma with a low tumour burden (a peritoneal cancer index below 20). They also noted that this combined treatment carries high complication and death rates. They added that the case for using it rests mostly on retrospective and uncontrolled studies. The editorial did not discuss asbestos. The authors concluded that peritoneal metastasis can no longer be considered a process with an inevitable lethal end.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Editorial (narrative commentary); no original data
• Who was studied: No study population. The editorial discussed patients with peritoneal metastasis in general, including those with peritoneal mesothelioma, appendiceal, ovarian, colorectal and gastric tumours.
• Exposure: Not an exposure study. Asbestos and asbestos fibers are not mentioned. The topic was treatment: cytoreductive surgery with or without HIPEC, and systemic drugs.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that peritoneal metastasis can no longer be considered a condition with an inevitable lethal end. They stated that CRS/HIPEC (cytoreductive surgery combined with HIPEC) is currently the first treatment option for, among others, patients with peritoneal mesothelioma with a low tumour burden (PCI less than 20).
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that the evidence supporting CRS/HIPEC is limited and based mostly on retrospective and uncontrolled studies.
  • The authors stated that CRS/HIPEC has high morbidity and mortality rates and that careful selection of candidates is mandatory.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Metastasis, Peritoneal Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Present and future of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy for pleural metastases: a narrative review — A. Hajja, M. Atout, et al. (2026)
• Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma literature review: past, present, and future — S.N. Gregory, A.L. Sarvestani, et al. (2022)
• Surgical treatment of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: past, present, and future — H.R. Alexander (2010)
• Current Management and Future Opportunities for Peritoneal Metastases: Peritoneal Mesothelioma — H.R. Alexander, C.Y. Li, et al. (2018)
• Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Peritoneal Metastases: Technical Innovations, Preclinical and Clinical Advances and Future Perspectives — N. Christou, C. Auger, et al. (2021)
• Global trend analysis and risk evolution of asbestos-related ovarian cancer: a population-based study and future prediction (1990-2021) — X. Li, J. Li, et al. (2025)

Browse more research in Journal of Clinical Medicine, or return to medical research.