Whole-body hyperthermia combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for the treatment of stage IV advanced gastric cancer

Background: Currently known as a metastatic disease, stage IV gastric cancer cannot be cured by surgery, but treatments are recommended to relieve symptoms such as pain and to prolong survival. Methods: With better access to metastases and certain large or inoperable tumours, we applied two treatment sessions of combined therapy of whole-body hyperthermia and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemo-perfusion in the treatment group, while patients in the control group were treated with oxaliplatin combined with 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy or Xeloda. We used the RECIST criteria for outcome evaluation. Results: With the combined treatment, we found the complete and partial remission rate of patients to be 61.5%, and the rate of stable disease was 19.2%. Symptoms such as pain and a large volume of ascites were alleviated, and the quality of life was correspondingly improved. In addition, the combined treatment had a significant therapeutic benefit against the primary tumour and the metastases to the lymph nodes and liver. Survival time was also significantly prolonged (the 1-year survival rate was 38.5% compared to the control group rate of 19%). Conclusions: These results suggest that whole-body hyperthermia combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is an effective treatment for patients with advanced gastric malignancies.