Pelvic Exenterations and Cytoreductions Safely Combined for T4 Rectal Cancers with Peritoneal Metastasis

Investigating the combination of pelvic exenterations and cytoreductions in T4 rectal cancers with peritoneal metastasis, a study on 39 patients (median age 35) revealed safety in terms of morbidity (18% major complications). Although achieving CC-0 in 97.4%, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy was administered to 15 patients. Despite safety, overall and recurrence-free survival remained modest at 17 and 9 months, respectively. This suggests the combined approach’s safety but underscores the ongoing challenges in improving survival outcomes for these patients.