Peritoneal mesothelioma is one of four types of mesothelioma and the second most common. Approximately 15% of the 3,000 people in the U.S. diagnosed each year with mesothelioma have peritoneal disease.
Cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC is a staple of treating peritoneal mesothelioma. The surgery removes all diseased tissue, the omentum tissue, possibly the spleen, and possibly the peritoneal tissue lining. HIPEC, which is an acronym for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, is a heated type of chemotherapy that washes the abdominal cavity to kill any leftover cancer cells.
Success rates of cytoreduction/HIPEC surgery vary based on the age of the patient, their health, the stage of the cancer, and more factors.
One of the concerns patients have with aggressive surgery is the chance of relapse, also called recurrence. This is when tumors spread months or years after the surgery, which can be demoralizing for patients and their loved ones.
A new study looked at how often people with peritoneal mesothelioma relapse after cytoreduction/HIPEC surgery – and how quickly the relapse most likely occurs after the operation.
How Often Do People Relapse After Cytoreduction/HIPEC for Mesothelioma?
According to the study, published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology and accessed through the U.S. National Library of Medicine, approximately 71% of patients have relapse/recurrence after this surgery. The study followed up with 197 patients to assess their status for years following their surgery, and 140 relapsed.
Still, the median progression-free survival was 37.2 months. This means the average survival before relapse occurs is a little more than 3 years.
Relapse Common in First Few Years
Approximately 54% of patients in the study had an “early relapse”, which was defined as within 2 years. The chances of relapse drop the longer patients are in remission from mesothelioma following surgery. After the first 2 years, the rate of relapse is just 14% until year 8, when it’s nearly 0%.
This data shows there’s often a benchmark to meet before patients can feel more comfortable about their hope for a cancer-free future.
How to Improve Chances of Long-Term Remission
People with peritoneal mesothelioma should see a specialist with experience performing cytoreduction/HIPEC surgery. There are doctors highly trained and have years of experience performing this surgery. Them performing your surgery gives you the best chance of long-term remission due to their knowledge of how to eliminate all tumors in the abdominal cavity.
An example is Dr. Richard Berri, the Chief of Surgical Oncology and Director of the HIPEC program at Henry Ford Health and the Van Elslander Cancer Center in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. Dr. Berri has performed more than 500 HIPEC/cytoreductive surgeries at Henry Ford St. John Hospital and Van Elslander Cancer Center.
Let Mesothelioma Guide help you connect with Dr. Berri or another specialist for peritoneal mesothelioma. Email our lead patient advocate and registered nurse Karen Ritter at karen@mesotheliomaguide.com for help finding a specialist for your unique diagnosis.
Sources & Author
- Assessing the Annual Risk of Recurrence Following Complete Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) for Diffuse Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma Patients. Annals of Surgical Oncology. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41006791/. Accessed: 11/01/2025.
