This study will test the effectiveness of an experimental treatment for peritoneal cancer involving surgical removal of the tumor, perfusion of the abdomen during surgery with a heated solution of the drug cisplatin, and post-surgery combination chemotherapy in the abdomen with fluorouracil (5-FU) and paclitaxel.

Patients with certain peritoneal cancer whose tumors are confined to the abdomen may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history and physical examination, including blood tests, electrocardiogram and possibly bone scan, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and chest, abdomen and pelvic CT scans.

Participants undergo surgery to remove as much tumor as possible. Part of the intestines, pancreas, stomach or the entire spleen may also be removed if they are affected. During surgery, after the tumor has been removed, two catheters (thin plastic tubes) are placed in the abdomen. A chemotherapy solution containing the anti-cancer drug cisplatin heated to a temperature of about 108.6 degrees (10 degrees above normal body temperature) is then delivered into the abdomen through one catheter and drained through another. During treatment, a drug called sodium thiosulfate is given through a vein to reduce the risk of side effects of cisplatin, particularly kidney damage. After 90 minutes of bathing the abdomen with this solution, the drug is rinsed from the abdomen and the catheters removed. Another small catheter is then placed and left inside the abdomen with one end coming out through the skin. Seven to 12 days after the operation, the anti-cancer drugs 5-FU and paclitaxel are given through this catheter.

After complete recovery from the surgery, the catheter is removed and the patient is discharged from the hospital. Clinic visits are scheduled for periodic follow-up examination, imaging, and tests 3 and 6 months after surgery and every 6 months for up to 5 years as long as the disease does not worsen. Patients whose disease progresses are taken off the study and referred back to their local physician or referred for alternative care or other research studies.

Patients are also asked to assess how this therapy affects their general health and well being. This will require filling out two quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaires before surgery and again at each follow-up visit after surgery. Each questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete.

Background:

Cytoreductive surgery plus aggressive combination intraperitoneal chemotherapy may significantly alter the natural history of peritoneal carcinomatosis. The purpose of this study is to examine the treatment results of continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion (CHPP) with cisplatin plus early postoperative intraperitoneal dwell therapy with 5-FU and paclitaxel after cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis.

Objectives:

The primary objective of this study is to determine response and survival after continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion with cisplatin and early postoperative intraperitoneal dwell therapy with 5-FU and paclitaxel. Response can only be assessed by measuring the time to clinical or radiographic recurrence of disease.

The secondary objectives include the determination of pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel and 5-FU delivered into the peritoneal cavity and the impact that continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion with cisplatin and early postoperative intraperitoneal dwell therapy with 5-FU and paclitaxel has on patients' health related quality of life.

The evaluation of pure populations of tumor and normal mesothelial cells to

• determine if signal transduction pathways are distinct in tumor versus normal tissue
• to see if specific cell pathways are activated or inhibited as a consequence of therapy.
• to validate that this technology can provide informative data about these events as a potential surrogate for clinical benefit from therapy or biological behavior of the tumor.

Eligibility:

The patient greater than or equal to 30 kg must have histologically proven peritoneal carcinomatosis from one of the following histologies: 1) primary peritoneal mesothelioma; 2) low grade mucinous adenocarcinoma (including low grade mucinous neoplasms of borderline malignant potential); 3) adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal tract origin (other than low grade mucinous, excluding pancreatic cancer), with disease confined to the peritoneal cavity. Patients may not have had treatment for their disease within the previous 30 days and have recovered from all toxicity. Patients must meet certain safety laboratory criteria and may not have major medical disorders that would place them at unacceptable risk for a major surgical procedure. Patients may not have received prior intraperitoneal platinum therapy.

Design:

Patients will undergo cytoreductive surgery followed by CHPP with cisplatin. A peritoneal dialysis catheter will be inserted into the peritoneal cavity at the time of laparotomy. In the early postoperative period (day 2 - 10) intraperitoneal dwell chemotherapy with paclitaxel (125 mg/M^2) and 5-FU (800 mg/M^2) will be administered. Patients will be seen 4 - 6 weeks after discharge for a physical examination and laboratory screen and QOL evaluation. Tumor marker will be included at this stage. Patients will then be seen every 3 months for the first year after surgery and every 6 months thereafter. At each visit they will undergo physical examination, laboratory screening (including tumor marker) and a CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis and QOL evaluation.

The objective of this pilot study is to estimate the ability of peritoneal perfusion to achieve potentially tolerable disease free survival in patients with a variety of tumors. For each class of tumors, an appropriate, distinct median disease free survival will be targeted as the principal endpoint. The trial will be conducted as a set of three single-stage phase II studies, with an early stopping rule for clearly unacceptable outcomes. It is expected that accrual for 59 patients with adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal origin (other than low grade mucinous), 48 patients with low grade mucinous adenocarcinoma, and 96 patients with primary peritoneal mesothelioma (total accrual of 203) will require approximately 5 -6 years.

Results will be assessed by following the time to radiographic or clinical recurrence of disease and survival. Patients will be stratified for entry based on histology. This will include 3 cohorts: 1) peritoneal mesothelioma; 2) low grade mucinous adenocarcinoma (including low grade mucinous neoplasms of borderline malignant potential); and 3) adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal origin (other than low grade mucinous).

• INCLUSION CRITERIA:

The patient must have histologically proven peritoneal carcinomatosis from the following histologies: primary peritoneal mesothelioma; low grade mucinous adenocarcinoma (including low grade mucinous neoplasms of borderline malignant potential); adenocarcinoma of gastrointestinal tract origin (other than low grade mucinous, excluding pancreatic cancer).

Radiologic workup must demonstrate that the disease is confined to the peritoneal cavity.

Radiologic workup or prior abdominal exploration must be consistent with disease which can be debulked to a residual size of less that 1 cm in diameter per tumor deposit.

Patients must have an Eastern Cooperative Onocology Group (ECOG) performance status of less than or equal to 2.

Patients must have a minimum expected duration of survival of greater than 8 weeks.

Patients must have recovered from any toxicity from all prior chemotherapy, immunotherapy or radiotherapy and be at least 30 days past the date of their last treatment.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

Patients will be excluded if they have concomitant medical problems that would place them at unacceptable risk for a major surgical procedure.

Patients at increased risk for coronary artery disease or cardiac dysfunction (e.g., age greater than 65, history of hypertension, first degree relative with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease) will undergo cardiac evaluation and will not be eligible if they demonstrate significant irreversible ischemia on a stress thallium study or an injection fraction of less than 40 percent.

Patients who have shortness of breath with minimal exertion and who are at risk for pulmonary disease (e.g., chronic smokers) will undergo pulmonary function testing and will not be eligible if their forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV1) is less than 1.2 liters or their maximum voluntary ventilation is less than 50 percent of expected.

Patients who have a baseline neurological toxicity of Grade 3 or greater will be excluded because of the potential neurotoxicity associated with platinum and paclitaxel therapy.

Patients will be ineligible if they have a creatinine of greater than 1.5 or a creatinine clearance of less 70 mL/min.

Patients will be ineligible if the white blood cell (WBC) is less than 3000/microliters or platelets are less than 75,000mL/mm(3).

Patients must have a serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) within 5 times the upper limit of normal and a total serum bilirubin of less than 3 times the upper limit of normal, both of which define the upper limit of grade 2 treatment related toxicities.