Mechanism of Intraperitoneal Spread of Free Cancer Cells

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) from cancer cell dissemination from a primary tumor is considered a local cancer rather than systemic spread. Multiple primary cancers are responsible of peritoneal metastasis (PM). Patients affected by primary epithelial tumors plus PM can benefit from an aggressive surgical approach, such as the cytoreductive surgery (CRS), combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which can result in long-term survival rates in selected patients [1]. Targeted indications are important for the success of these treatments. Patient selection is performed routinely depending on clinical parameters, preoperative tumor staging, and intraoperative findings. However, the origin mechanism of PM underlying specific biological aspects; in fact, some targeted molecules are responsible of tumor spread and peritoneal cancer cells adhesion. These molecular biomarkers are introduced in clinical practice to identify patients eligible for targeted therapies.