Study Suggests HIPEC During Surgery May Lower Risk of Bowel Obstruction in Ovarian Cancer
- Abdominal Cancers Alliance
- Jan 7
- 2 min read
Falla-Zuniga LF, Sardi A, King MC, Lopez-Ramirez F, Kovalik V, Iugai S, Diaz-Montes T, Gushchin V. Small bowel obstruction and ovarian cancer: insights from a propensity-score matched study in patients with and without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy after cytoreductive surgery. World J Surg Oncol. 2025 Aug 26;23(1):318. doi: 10.1186/s12957-025-03968-y. PMID: 40859247; PMCID: PMC12382003.
Understanding the Study: Bowel Blockages in Advanced Ovarian Cancer
This study looked at women with advanced ovarian cancer and how different surgical treatments affect the risk of developing a small bowel obstruction (SBO). An SBO happens when the intestines become blocked, which can cause severe abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty eating. These blockages often require hospitalization and can greatly affect quality of life.
Small bowel obstructions are unfortunately common in ovarian cancer. About 3 in 10 women with ovarian cancer will experience this complication at some point during their illness.
What Treatments Were Compared?
Researchers compared outcomes between two groups of women:
Standard cytoreductive surgery (CRS), which aims to remove as much visible cancer as possible
Cytoreductive surgery plus HIPEC, a treatment where heated chemotherapy is delivered directly into the abdomen during surgery to target remaining cancer cells
To make the comparison fair, doctors carefully matched patients in both groups so they were similar in age, cancer type, and how advanced their disease was.
Key Findings in Plain Language
Lower Risk of Bowel Blockages
Women who received HIPEC during surgery were less likely to develop a bowel blockage than those who had surgery alone
24% with HIPEC
42% without HIPEC
More Time Without a Bowel Blockage
Women treated with HIPEC went longer without developing a bowel obstruction (or dying from their disease)
About 43 months with HIPEC
About 20 months with surgery alone
Better Survival After a Blockage Occurred
Even among women who did develop a bowel obstruction, outcomes were better for those who had HIPEC
About 86% of women in the HIPEC group were alive one year later
Compared to 45% in the surgery-only group
What Does This Mean for Patients?
This study suggests that adding heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) at the time of surgery may:
Lower the chance of developing a bowel blockage
Delay when blockages occur
Improve survival if a blockage does happen
The study was based on a review of past patient records from a single medical center, so it cannot prove cause and effect the way a large randomized trial would. However, the results provide important information that may help patients and doctors have more informed discussions about treatment options and quality-of-life considerations.
