Curative versus palliative treatments for colorectal cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The objective of this study was to provide an up-to-date summary of the current evidence that may be useful for updating guidelines. We comprehensively searched the published literatures and conferences for studies that compared curative with palliative treatments in colorectal cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis. The primary outcomes considered in this study were three-and five-year overall survival rates. We pooled data across studies and estimated summary effect sizes. Overall, patients who received curative treatments had improved three-year survival (hazard ratio (HR), 2.19 [95% CI, 1.83 to 2.62]) and five-year survival (HR, 2.22 [95% CI, 1.83 to 2.69]) compared with those who received palliative treatments. Patients who received curative treatments had an increased risk of treatment-related morbidity (odds ratio (OR), 2.90 [95% CI, 2.02 to 4.17]), but there was no significant difference in treatment-related mortality between patients who received curative treatments and those who received palliative treatments (OR, 1.46 [CI, 0.62 to 3.47]). Curative treatments improved overall survival in colorectal cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis and did not increase the risk of treatment-related mortality. Curative treatments were associated with a higher risk of treatment-related morbidity. These data highlight the importance for further investigation aimed at prevention of treatment-associated morbidity.