Intraperitoneal therapies (IP) for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC): A systematic synthesis of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), normothermicintraperitoneal chemotherapy, and pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC).

Abstract

741 Background: IP strategies directly target the peritoneal compartment in PDAC, where systemic chemotherapy alone demonstrates poor efficacy. Approaches include HIPEC, normothermic intraperitoneal paclitaxel (NIPEC/IP-PTX) given with systemic therapy, and PIPAC. This systematic review synthesizes evidence on feasibility, perioperative safety, and clinical outcomes of IP therapy in PDAC. Methods: We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane databases for studies published through August 2025. Eligible studies included prospective or retrospective studies evaluating HIPEC, NIPEC/IP-PTX, or PIPAC with extractable safety or oncologic outcomes. Outcomes included feasibility, 30-day mortality, perioperative complications, locoregional recurrence (LRR) in the adjuvant setting, overall survival (OS) from peritoneal metastasis (PM) diagnosis or first IP therapy, conversion-to-resection, and histologic/radiologic response. Results: Sixteen studies met criteria, including 7 on HIPEC, 5 on NIPEC/IP-PTX, and 4 on PIPAC. In the adjuvant setting, 2 HIPEC studies demonstrated high feasibility (>85%), 0–5% 30-day mortality, and complication rates comparable to pancreatectomy. A randomized trial reported significantly lower LRR with adjuvant gemcitabine HIPEC. Median OS in treated arms was ~17–18 months, with 1-year OS ~63%. In the cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus HIPEC setting for isolated peritoneal metastases, patients achieved CC-0/1 cytoreduction in most cases, with median OS ~24–41 months and 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS ranging 60–91%, 33–66%, and 39–59%, respectively. Thirty-day mortality was 0–4.3%, and major morbidity 20–43%. For NIPEC/IP-PTX, multicenter and single-institution cohorts consistently reported median OS ~14–16 months, 1-year OS ~60%, and conversion-to-resection rates of 17–24%. Ascites control and feasibility were reproducible, and device-related adverse events were generally manageable. PIPAC programs established oxaliplatin at 120 mg/m² as the recommended dose, with ~50–60% histologic regression by PRGS and disease stabilization in 50–60% after 1–2 cycles. Median OS in PDAC subsets was ~9–13 months, with low major toxicity, though early discontinuation was frequent in progressive disease. Conclusions: Intraperitoneal therapies for PDAC are feasible and show promising biologic and clinical signals. Adjuvant HIPEC reduces locoregional recurrence without excess mortality; CRS plus HIPEC can achieve multi-year survival in selected patients with isolated PM metastases; NIPEC/IP-PTX offers reproducible survival and conversion-to-resection; and PIPAC provides histologic regression with acceptable safety.