Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) after primary debulking surgery in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: Is BRCA mutational status making the difference?

Current and future trials about HIPEC in ovarian cancer

Due to the typical peritoneal spread of the disease, together with cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy, the role of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is gainig more interest in advanced ovarian cancer (AOC) treatment. Indeed, the addition of hyperthemia seems to enhance the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapy directly delivered on peritoneal surface. So far, data on HIPEC administration during the primary debulking surgery (PDS) have been controversial. Indeed, despite flaws and biases, a survival advantage in a subgroup analysis of a prospective randomized trial of PDS+HIPEC treated patients was not demonstrated, whilst positive results are coming from a large retrospective cohort of patients treated with HIPEC after upfront surgery. In this setting, larger prospective data from an ongoing trial are expected by 2026. Contrariously, the addition of HIPEC with cisplatin 100mg/m2 at the time of interval debulking surgery (IDS) has shown to prolong both progression-free and overall survival by prospective randomized data, despite few controversies on the methodology and the results of this trial arose among the experts. So far, available high quality data on HIPEC treatment after surgery for disease recurrence failed to demonstrate a survival benefit in this group of patients, however few trials are ongoing and results are awaited. With this article, we aim to discuss the main findings of available evidence and the objectives of ongoing trials on the addition of HIPEC to various timing of cytoreductive surgery in AOC, also in view of the development of precision medicine and targeted therapies in AOC treatment.

The 2022 PSOGI International Consensus on HIPEC Regimens for Peritoneal Malignancies: Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

BACKGROUND AND AIM

We report the results of an international consensus on hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) regimens for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) performed with the following goals: To define the indications for HIPEC To identify the most suitable HIPEC regimens for each indication in EOC To identify areas of future research on HIPEC To provide recommendations for some aspects of perioperative care for HIPEC METHODS: The Delphi technique was used with two rounds of voting. There were three categories of questions: evidence-based recommendations [using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system with the patient, intervention, comparator, and outcome (PICO) method], an opinion survey, and research recommendations.

RESULTS

Seventy-three (67.5%) of 108 invited experts responded in round I, and 68 (62.9%) in round II. Consensus was achieved for 34/38 (94.7%) questions. However, a strong positive consensus that would lead to inclusion in routine care was reached for only 6/38 (15.7%) questions. HIPEC in addition to interval cytoreductive surgery (CRS) received a strong positive recommendation that merits inclusion in routine care. Single-agent cisplatin was the only drug recommended for routine care, and OVHIPEC-1 was the most preferred regimen. The panel recommended performing HIPEC for a minimum of 60 min with a recommended minimum intraabdominal temperature of 41°C. Nephroprotection with sodium thiosulfate should be used for cisplatin HIPEC.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this consensus should guide clinical decisions on indications of HIPEC and the choice and various parameters of HIPEC regimens and could fill current knowledge gaps. These outcomes should be the basis for designing future clinical trials on HIPEC in EOC.

Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC): New Approaches and Controversies on the Treatment of Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) after cytoreductive surgery has been extensively studied in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis, and it holds promise as a therapeutic strategy, but its role remains elusive. The aim of this study was to assess the existing evidence for the use or not of HIPEC in primary debulking surgery (PDS), interval debulking surgery (IDS), and recurrent ovarian cancer (ROC), evaluated in terms of survival rates and post-surgical morbidity.

METHODS

Medline, Pubmed, Cochrane, and Medscape were systematically searched for any article comparing the use of HIPEC treatment with any other therapy in patients with ovarian cancer in PDS, IDS, and ROC. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines were followed. We only considered English-language published studies.

RESULTS

We included 14 studies, including two RCTs with a total of 1813 women, published between 2003 and 2023 with a recruitment period between 1998 and 2020. In PDS, there were no differences in progression-free survival (PFS) between HIPEC and controls [MD -5.53 months [95% CI -19.91 to 8.84 months]; I2 = 96%]. Conversely, in patients treated with NACT, pooled results showed a significant survival advantage in terms of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in the combined HIPEC plus IDS group rather than surgery alone [PFS: MD 4.68 months (95% CI 3.49 to 5.86 months, I2 = 95%); OS: MD 11.81 months (95% CI 9.34 to 14.27 months); I2 = 97%]. Concerning ROC patients, pooled MD did not show either a significant PFS difference between intervention and controls [MD 2.68 months (95% CI 433 to 9.70 months); I2 = 95%], and OS significant difference (MD 6.69 months [95% CI -9.09 to 22.47 months]; I2 = 98%). Severe post-operative complications (≥grade 3) were available in 10 studies, accounting for 1108 women. Overall, there was a slightly but significantly increased risk with the combined approach compared to controls [RR 1.26 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.55); I2 = 0%].

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of HIPEC with cytoreductive surgery prolongs OS and PFS in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer after NACT with acceptable morbidity. However, additional trials are still needed to determine the effectiveness of HIPEC in primary and recurrence settings. In the era of personalized medicine, the correlation between the efficacy of HIPEC and biological and molecular findings represents a challenge for the future of ovarian cancer.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Tumor Cytoreductive Surgery plus Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer

Objective

To assess the clinical efficacy and safety of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for ovarian cancer.

Methods

From April 2018 to November 2021, 66 patients with ovarian cancer were admitted to our hospital and randomly allocated to undergo intravenous chemotherapy following CRS (the observation group) or CRS with HIPEC (the experimental group) using a parallel randomized technique, with 33 cases in each group. Clinical effectiveness, intraoperative and postoperative recovery, VEGF level, T-lymphocyte subpopulation cell level, adverse events, and patient survival were all outcome metrics.

Results

CRS plus HIPEC was associated with significantly higher clinical efficacy versus CRS alone (P < 0.05). The difference in the intraoperative bleeding and operative time between the two groups did not meet the statistical standard (P > 0.05). Patients in the experimental group experienced shorter postoperative chemotherapy and length of hospital stay than those in the observation group (P < 0.05). CRS plus HIPEC resulted in significantly lower levels of VEGFA, VEGFB, and VEGFC and higher levels of CD3+, CD4+, and CD3+/CD4+ than CRS alone (P < 0.05). The two groups of patients had a similar incidence of adverse events (P > 0.05). The experimental group showed a longer median survival (25 months) and a 1-year survival rate (79.55%) than the observation group (22 months, 49.56%) (log rank = 20.411, P < 0.05). A significantly lower 1-year recurrence rate was observed in the experimental group than in the observation group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

CRS plus HIPEC effectively improves the clinical efficacy of ovarian cancer patients, prolongs the survival of patients, and improves the level of VEGF and T-lymphocyte subpopulation cells, with a manageable safety. In addition, the treatment method can improve the therapeutic effect, reduce the toxic and side effects, and improve the immunity of the body, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

Mechanistic Insights on Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy in Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer is an aggressive disease of the female reproductive system and a leading cause of cancer death in women. Standard of care includes surgery and platinum-based chemotherapy, yet patients continue to experience a high rate of recurrence and metastasis. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) treatment in highly selective patients extends overall survival by nearly 12 months. The clinical studies are highly supportive of the use of HIPEC in the treatment of ovarian cancer, though the therapeutic approach is limited to academic medical centers. The mechanism underlying HIPEC benefit remains unknown. The efficacy of HIPEC therapy is impacted by several procedural and patient/tumor factors including the timing of surgery, platinum sensitivity, and molecular profiling such as homologous recombination deficiency. The present review aims to provide insight into the mechanistic benefit of HIPEC treatment with a focus on how hyperthermia activates the immune response, induces DNA damage, impairs DNA damage repair pathways, and has a synergistic effect with chemotherapy, with the ultimate outcome of increasing chemosensitivity. Identifying the points of fragility unmasked by HIPEC may provide the key pathways that could be the basis of new therapeutic strategies for ovarian cancer patients.

Is there a role for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in ovarian cancer?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Our objective is to provide a history, rationale, and review of the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in the treatment of ovarian cancer.

RECENT FINDINGS

In the last decade, there has been an increase in the literature regarding HIPEC in the treatment of ovarian cancer. The rationale for HIPEC extends from earlier trials demonstrating improved survival using intraperitoneal chemotherapy. HIPEC provides a one-time opportunity for intraperitoneal chemotherapy at the time of cytoreduction and with the addition of hyperthermia. Cisplatin HIPEC has been demonstrated to have a survival benefit when used in the interval cytoreductive setting. In terms of safety, nephroprotection remains a key concern when administering HIPEC. Sodium thiosulfate provides nephroprotection and should be considered when performing HIPEC. Various institutions have created multidisciplinary protocols for administering HIPEC, which include operating room staff, nursing, anesthesia, pharmacy, and surgical teams.

SUMMARY

HIPEC has a role in the treatment paradigm of ovarian cancer. Currently, HIPEC is approved in the interval cytoreductive surgery setting. Further trials are needed to understand the appropriate timing, chemotherapeutic agents, and protocolization of HIPEC.

Deep-Learning to Predict BRCA Mutation and Survival from Digital H&E Slides of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

BRCA 1/2 genes mutation status can already determine the therapeutic algorithm of high grade serous ovarian cancer patients. Nevertheless, its assessment is not sufficient to identify all patients with genomic instability, since BRCA 1/2 mutations are only the most well-known mechanisms of homologous recombination deficiency (HR-d) pathway, and patients displaying HR-d behave similarly to BRCA mutated patients. HRd assessment can be challenging and is progressively overcoming BRCA testing not only for prognostic information but more importantly for drugs prescriptions. However, HR testing is not already integrated in clinical practice, it is quite expensive and it is not refundable in many countries. Selecting patients who are more likely to benefit from this assessment (BRCA 1/2 WT patients) at an early stage of the diagnostic process, would allow an optimization of genomic profiling resources. In this study, we sought to explore whether somatic BRCA1/2 genes status can be predicted using computational pathology from standard hematoxylin and eosin histology. In detail, we adopted a publicly available, deep-learning-based weakly supervised method that uses attention-based learning to automatically identify sub regions of high diagnostic value to accurately classify the whole slide (CLAM). The same model was also tested for progression free survival (PFS) prediction. The model was tested on a cohort of 664 (training set: n = 464, testing set: n = 132) ovarian cancer patients, of whom 233 (35.1%) had a somatic BRCA 1/2 mutation. An area under the curve of 0.7 and 0.55 was achieved in the training and testing set respectively. The model was then further refined by manually identifying areas of interest in half of the cases. 198 images were used for training (126/72) and 87 images for validation (55/32). The model reached a zero classification error on the training set, but the performance was 0.59 in terms of validation ROC AUC, with a 0.57 validation accuracy. Finally, when applied to predict PFS, the model achieved an AUC of 0.71, with a negative predictive value of 0.69, and a positive predictive value of 0.75. Based on these analyses, we have planned further steps of development such as proving a reference classification performance, exploring the hyperparameters space for training optimization, eventually tweaking the learning algorithms and the neural networks architecture for better suiting this specific task. These actions may allow the model to improve performances for all the considered outcomes.