Research

Phase II trial of systemic therapy plus intraperitoneal (IP) paclitaxel (PTX) in gastric/GEJ cancer peritoneal carcinomatosis (GPC): STOPGAP trial.

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 stu

This research study explored outcomes for people with colorectal cancer that had spread to two places at the same time: the lining of the abdomen (called the peritoneum), and the liver.

Safety and Efficacy of Cisplatin and Doxorubicin Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosolized Chemotherapy (PIPAC) in Patients with Ovarian Cancer with Peritoneal Metastases: A Multicenter US Phase I Trial. Authors : Nakamura, B., Senguttuvan, R., Ruel, N.H. et al. Ann Surg Oncol 33 , 415–425 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-025-18432-0 A New Way to Treat Cancer Spread in the Abdome n This study looked at a treatment called Pressurized Intra-Peritoneal Aerosol Chemother

Predictors of Successful Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Interval Cytoreductive Surgery in Management of Ovarian Cancer. ** Authors : Claudia Marchetti, MD, PhD, Gwenael Ferron, MD, et al. JCO Oncology Practice, Nov 24, 2025. DOI: 10.1200/OP-25-00469 Understanding Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Surgery What the Study Was About This study focused on individuals with ovarian cancer who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). This means they undergo chemotherapy before surgery. T

Efficacy and safety of secondary cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis . Liu, HY., Tian, LH., Huang, G. et al. World J Surg Onc 23 , 423 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12957-025-04076-7 What the study looked at Researchers examined data from over 1,100 people with platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (meaning the cancer responded to prior platinum c

Controlling perfusion temperature relates to better outcomes after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Lopez-Ramirez, Felipe et al. European Journal of Surgical Oncology, Volume 52, Issue 1, 110536 What is HIPEC? HIPEC ( Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy ) is a treatment where, after a surgeon removes as much visible tumor as possible (cytoreductive surgery), heated chemotherapy is circulated directly inside the abdominal cavity. Th

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a major change that affects hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for women in menopause. After reviewing many years of research, they are removing certain “black-box” warnings from HRT products. These warnings were once very prominent and suggested high risk in broad terms. What are they changing? The FDA will update labels for HRT products to remove or reduce warnings about heart disease, breast cancer, and dementia, when use

At the Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International (PSOGI) meeting in Barcelona this October, Alliance Board Member Dr. Vadim Gushchin presented a new perspective on how surgeons should be trained to care for patients with peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM)—a group of rare cancers that spread inside the abdominal cavity, titled " What is special about teaching and learning PSM surgery? ". PSMs are cancers that spread inside the abdominal cavity , forming many small or

Vladislav Kovalik, MD, MSPH; Armando Sardi, MD, FACS; Mary Caitlin King, BS; Sergei Iugai, MD; Luis Felipe Falla-Zuniga, MD; Carol Nieroda, MD; and Vadim Gushchin, MD, FACS The Institute for Cancer Care at Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD Presentation Patterns and Treatment Outcomes in Appendix Cancer Patients Traveling to a High-Volume Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Center. Am Surg. 2025 Nov;91(11):1889-1897. doi: 10.1177/00031348251337155. Epub 2025 May 5. PMID: 4032288

A recent study by Mercy Medical Center reveals that despite longer delays to treatment and more advanced disease at presentation, out-of-state patients with rare appendix cancers achieve comparable long-term outcomes to local patients when treated at a high-volume specialized center. Key findings from the research, published July 2025 in The American Surgeon, include: Patients traveling from out of state waited an average of 4.6 months from diagnosis to surgery, compared to 2

This study focused on a key challenge: in many bowel cancers, especially stromal-rich types (those with lots of supporting tissue, or stromal cells, around the tumor), immune therapies aren’t working as well as hoped. Researchers investigated how certain “support” cells within the tumor (called stromal cells) may be actively helping the cancer by suppressing the body’s immune system. Then they investigated how to turn the immune system back on again in these hard-to-treat can

A quarterly newsletter with the latest news, views and announcements from Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International (PSOGI) Led by pioneering surgical oncologist Dr. Paul Sugarbaker, PSOGI is a collaboration of experts from around the world on the treatment of peritoneal cancer and is dedicated to improving treatment and survival of patients with peritoneal metastases . While PSOGI World News  is a quarterly publication primarily intended for healthcare professionals, t

When you hear “clinical trials,” you might think of the drug companies doing studies of new medicines. But did you know that federally funded trials—backed by government agencies—play a unique and absolutely critical role in cancer research? A recent study shows just how important they are for rare cancers, children, and complex treatment strategies.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI)  — the nation’s leading cancer research agency — has a new director. Dr. Anthony Letai officially...

Carlos A Munoz-Zuluaga ,  Mary Caitlin King ,  Panayotis Ledakis ,  Vadim Gushchin ,  Michelle Sittig ,  Carol Nieroda ,  Katherine Zambrano-Vera ,  Armando Sardi Systemic chemotherapy before cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC) in patients with high-grade mucinous carcinoma peritonei of appendiceal origin . European Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2019 Sep;45(9):1598-1606. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31109821/ Summary: Researche

Ekaterina Baron, Armando Sardi, Mary Caitlin King, Andrei Nikiforchin, Felipe Lopez-Ramirez, Carol Nieroda, Vadim Gushchin, Panayotis...

Serkan Yaşar MD , Feride Yılmaz MD , Güngör Utkan MD , Efnan Algın MD , Doğan Bayram, MD , Selim Tamam MD , Ömür Berna Çakmak Öksüzoğlu...

Mary Kathryn Abel, MD, MAS ; Varvara Mazina, MD ; Amy J. Bregar, MD; et al. JAMA Network Open; Published Online: July 25, 2025;...

Leah E. Hendrick, MD , Seth Felder, MD , Iman Imanirad, MD , and Sean P. Dineen, MD, MHPE JCO Oncology Practice (Oct 2024). Volume 21,...

OVHIPEC-1 confirms that for women with advanced ovarian cancer, combining HIPEC with cytoreductive surgery can provide a meaningful, long-term survival benefit while maintaining quality of life.

Marco Tonello MD, PhD , Carola Cenzi MS, PhD , Elisa Pizzolato MD , Manuela Martini RN , Pierluigi Pilati MD & Antonio Sommariva MD  ...

A quarterly newsletter with the latest news, views and announcements from Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International (PSOGI) Led by...

Sven Mahner, Florian Heitz, Sahar Salehi, Alexander Reuss, Frederic Guyon, Andreas du Bois, Philipp Harter, Christina Fotopoulou, Denis...

Real-world social determinants of health (SDOH) and outcomes of early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC): An analysis of a large,...

Researchers used National Cancer Institute data to compare appendix cancer rates across generations. They found that people born in the 1980s were three to four times more likely to be diagnosed with this cancer than those born in the 1940s.

Maheswari Senthil, Farshid Dayyani BMC Cancer ​This research article about the STOPGAP trial explores a new treatment approach for...

A quarterly newsletter with the latest news, views and announcements from Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International (PSOGI) Led by...

Edward A. Levine MD, Heidy Cos MD, Konstantinos I. Votanopoulos MD, PhD, Perry Shen MD, Greg Russell MS, Paul Mansfield MD, Keith...

Sergei Iugai MD, Mary Caitlin King BS, Vladislav Kovalik MD MPSH, Luis Felipe Falla-Zuniga MD, Kseniia Uzhegova MD, Abeerah Wasti BS,...