Background: Pancreatic cancer patients with positive peritoneal cytology (PPC) as a sole metastatic site are poorly characterized. Whether they behave similarly to other stage IV patients is unknown.
Methods: Patients with stage IV disease at our institution between 2003 and 2013 were identified. Inclusion criteria for PPC cohort were PPC at laparoscopy and no laparoscopic and/or radiographic evidence of metastasis. Patients with gross metastasis had laparoscopic and/or radiographic evidence of metastasis.
Results: Among 308 patients, 43 patients had PPC and 265 had gross metastasis. PPC cohort: 3 (7%) resectable, 8 (19%) borderline resectable, and 32 (74%) unresectable tumor. Disease progression occurred in 37 (86%). Sixteen of 43 (37%) also received local therapy (1 surgery and 15 chemoradiation). PPC vs gross metastasis cohort differed as follows: baseline Ca 19-9 (440 vs 1,904 IU/mL, P < .0001); Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score ≤1 (98 vs 88%, P = .04); median overall survival (13.9 vs 9.4 months, P = .0001).
Conclusions: Patients with PPC failed to display long-term disease-free survival, although overall survival was superior compared with those with gross metastasis. Patients with PPC may need to be considered a specific subgroup for staging and survival analysis.
Keywords: Cancer staging; Chemoradiation; Disease progression; Laparoscopy; Peritoneal washing; Survival.
Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.