Elimination of Peritoneal Tumor Cells With Extensive Peritoneal Lavage During Surgery in Patients With Gastric Cancer (EIPL)

May 1, 2017 updated by: Ulrich Ronellenfitsch, MD, Universitätsmedizin Mannheim

Elimination of Peritoneal Tumor Cells With "Extensive Intraperitoneal Lavage (EIPL)" During Surgical Treatment of Gastric Adenocarcinoma

A Japanese study showed that the additional use of an "Extensive Intraperitoneal Lavage" (EIPL), i.e. an extensive washing of the abdominal cavity with water, during surgery for gastric cancer can lead to a significant increase in survival. However, the study was confined to patients in whom upon commencing surgery, free peritoneal tumor cells were detected, which is only a small fraction of patients.

The primary objective of our study is to assess in all patients undergoing removal of the stomach and adjacent lymph nodes for stomach cancer, if EIPL can eliminate free peritoneal tumor cells which have been present at the beginning of the surgery or after the stomach and lymph node removal. Secondary objectives are to assess how often free peritoneal tumor cells occur in patients with stomach cancer, how often surgical resection itself leads to a release of tumor cells, the safety of the EIPL procedure, and disease-free and overall survival of patients undergoing EIPL. Based on the outcome of this japanese study we want to test with special laboratory methods why this lavage leads to a better outcome.

Specifically, the trial will test the hypotheses that a) lymph node dissection causes a release of tumor cells in the abdominal cavity, and b) EIPL eliminates free peritoneal tumor cells.

Study Overview

Status

Terminated

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

In spite of the existence of multimodal therapy, the long-term survival of patients with gastric cancer remains poor. In advanced tumor stages, five-year survival rates rarely exceed 30%. One of the factors limiting overall survival is peritoneal carcinomatosis, which frequently occurs after surgical treatment with curative intention.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis is supposed to develop from peritoneal implantation of tumor cells already present in the abdominal cavity during primary surgery. It is assumed that both serosal tumor infiltration and intraoperative lymphadenectomy, which per se leads to a survival improvement (1) and is therefore considered standard in Europe and Japan ((2), http://www.jpca.jp/PDFfiles/ Guidelines2004_eng.pdf), can release tumor cells into the peritoneal cavity. Of note, a Japanese study found that tumor cells were released into the peritoneal cavity during lymphadenectomy in 14-46% of patients, depending on preoperative tumor stage (3).

A randomized clinical trial from Japan (4) demonstrated that an "extensive intraperitoneal lavage" (EIPL), i.e. an irrigation of the abdominal cavity with ten times one liter of physiological saline solution, in combination with intraperitoneal chemotherapy (IPC) carried out after gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy, led to a significant improvement in overall survival compared to patients who received only surgery and IPC without EIPL, and those who received surgery alone without EIPL and IPC. These results suggest that the largest survival benefit is attributable to the addition of EIPL to IPC (5-year survival rate: 43.8% vs. 4.6%) and not to the addition of IPC to surgery alone (5-year survival rate: 4.6% vs. 0%).

However, it is important to consider that the study included only patients in whom peritoneal tumor cells were detected before resection of the stomach and lymph nodes. Thus, only 90 of 1522 (5.9%) patients operated in the participating centers throughout the study period fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Furthermore, the study design was not appropriate to assess if EIPL really leads to a reduction of free tumor cells as assumed. Regarding this hypothesis, the only available results stem from single patients out of smaller studies (4;5). To date, there is no higher level evidence from larger populations.

The present trial, for the first time, uses EIPL as additional treatment in patients with any tumor stage and regardless of the detection of intraperitoneal tumor cells at the beginning of the operation.

Intraperitoneal lavage fluid will be harvested and assessed for tumor cells at three different points of time:

(i) before gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy (ii) after gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy, directly before EIPL (iii) after EIPL

The trial will test the hypotheses that a) lymph node dissection causes a release of tumor cells in the abdominal cavity, and b) EIPL eliminates free peritoneal tumor cells.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

30

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Germany
      • Mannheim, Germany, 68167
        • University Hospital Mannheim, Department of Surgery

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adenocarcinoma of the stomach or cardia (Siewert Type 2 or 3), treated in curative intent with a gastrectomy or subtotal gastrectomy, and D2 lymphadenectomy.
  • Adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy do not constitute exclusion criteria
  • Written informed consent
  • Age ≥ 18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Histologically proven peritoneal carcinomatosis (biopsies of macroscopically suspicious findings must be taken at the beginning of the operation and be analyzed immediately by fresh frozen section)
  • Histologically proven distant metastases
  • Other medical causes precluding EIPL (e.g. critical condition throughout the surgery with the need to terminate the operation as soon as possible)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention arm
Extensive Intraperitoneal Lavage (EIPL)
Procedure: Extensive Intraperitoneal Lavage (EIPL)

EIPL is performed after completing resection and lymphadenectomy: the abdominal cavity has to be washed ten times with one liter Ringer's solution. Each liter has to be well dispersed manually in the abdominal cavity, and removed and disposed completely. 100 ml of the last liter of lavage fluid will be harvested and sent for analysis.

Contrary to the Japanese trial, Ringer's solution will be used instead of normal saline solution because of a presumed higher likelihood of peritoneal adhesions when employing the latter (7). Ringer's solution is the standard used for all intraperitoneal lavage procedures at the study centre. To avoid hypothermia, the lavage fluid will be warmed to body temperature (37° Celsius).

Other Names:
  • EIPL
  • extensive intraperitoneal lavage
  • lavage

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Peritoneal Conversion Rate (PCR)
Time Frame: intraoperative (day of surgery)
The Peritoneal Conversion Rate (PCR) is defined as the proportion of patients in whom no free peritoneal tumor cells are detected after EIPL among all patients in whom free peritoneal tumor cells were detected before EIPL. In other words, the PCR measures in what proportion of patients EIPL leads to an elimination of intraperitoneal tumor cells.
intraoperative (day of surgery)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Peritoneal Release Rate (PRR)
Time Frame: intraoperative (day of surgery)
The Peritoneal Release Rate (PRR) is defined as the proportion of patients in whom free peritoneal tumor cells are detected after gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy among all patients in whom no free peritoneal tumor cells were detected before gastrectomy and lymphadnectomy. In other words, this denotes the proportion of patients in whom tumor cells are released into the peritoneal cavity due to the surgical measures performed.
intraoperative (day of surgery)
Prevalence of free peritoneal tumor cells before resection
Time Frame: intraoperative (day of surgery)
This denotes the proportion of patients in whom free intraperitoneal tumor cells can be detected upon laparotomy among all operated patients.
intraoperative (day of surgery)
Overall Survival
Time Frame: up to 3 years
Overall survival is defined as the time between surgery and death, independent of the cause of death.
up to 3 years
Recurrence-free survival
Time Frame: up to 3 years
Recurrence-free survival is defined as the time between surgery and the appearance of a local recurrence, peritoneal carcinomatosis, or distant metastases.
up to 3 years
Perioperative in-hospital morbidity
Time Frame: up to the end of the hospital stay (estimated average two weeks after surgery)
All complications occuring throughout the hospital stay of the patient are assessed according to the Clavien-Dindo classification for surgical complications (6).
up to the end of the hospital stay (estimated average two weeks after surgery)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Universitätsmedizin Mannheim

Collaborators

Heidelberg University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Ulrich Ronellenfitsch, MD, University Hospital Mannheim, Department of Surgery

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

February 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2013

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 11, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 17, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

November 22, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 2, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 1, 2017

Last Verified

May 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UMM-EIPL

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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