Assessment of travel distance for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in women with ovarian cancer

• Published in: Gynecologic oncology reports 2022-04, Vol.40, p.100951-100951, Article 100951
• Main Authors: Chambers, Laura M., Yao, Meng, Morton, Molly, Gruner, Morgan, Chichura, Anna, Costales, Anthony B., Horowitz, Max, Rose, Peter G., Michener, Chad M., Debernardo, Robert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cytoreductive surgery; Disparities; Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy; Ovarian cancer; Perioperative outcomes; Research Report; Travel distance
• ISSN: 2352-5789; 2352-5789
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gore.2022.100951

•The median travel distance in women with EOC undergoing CRS with HIPEC was 57.0 miles in women with EOC.•Over 20% of patients treated at our institution traveled more than 100 miles for HIPEC procedures.•No differences were observed in post-operative complications or oncologic outcomes based upon travel distance. To evaluate travel distance in women with advanced or recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer (OC) undergoing cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and the subsequent impact upon outcomes. An IRB-approved single-institution prospective registry was queried for women with OC who underwent HIPEC from 1/1/2009–12/1/2020. Demographic, oncologic, and surgical data were recorded. The patient's home zip code was compared to the institutional zip code to determine travel distance using Google Maps. Patients were divided into three strata for analysis: 1) local: ≤50 miles, 2) regional: 51–99 miles, and 3) distant: ≥100 miles and univariate analysis was performed. Of 127 women, the median distance travelled was 57.0 miles (IQR: 20.6, 84.6). There were no significant differences in mild (28.3% vs. 26.3 vs. 24.1%), moderate (21.7% vs. 15.8% vs. 17.2%) or severe postoperative complications (11.7% vs. 5.3% vs. 17.2%) (p = 0.75) for local, regional and distant patients, respectively. There was no difference in progression-free survival (17.4 vs. 22.2 vs. 12.8 months, p > 0.05) or overall survival (57.3 vs. 61.6 vs. 29.2 months, p > 0.05) for local, regional or distant patients, respectively. This study demonstrates that women with OC are willing to travel for HIPEC, with over 50% traveling > 50 miles. Our results suggest that women who travel for HIPEC procedures are not at increased risk for perioperative complications or worse oncologic outcomes than those local to HIPEC centers.