If you have stomach cancer that has reached the lining of your belly, the fear of it coming back after surgery is real. This small, early study tested a thorough washing of the belly during surgery, called extensive intraoperative peritoneal lavage (EIPL), to see if it could help.
The study included 13 patients with this type of stomach cancer. After their open surgery, the surgeons washed the belly cavity extensively. The main goal was to see how long patients stayed cancer-free. Over 36 months of follow-up, the median time until the cancer came back was about 14.5 months. For overall survival, the median time was not reached, meaning more than half the patients were still alive at the study's end.
The results showed a notable difference based on the cancer's spread. Patients whose belly washings were clear of cancer cells (CY0) but had positive stamp tests had an 83% rate of staying free from belly recurrence. In contrast, patients with positive washings (CY1) had a 0% rate. However, the study was very small, stopped early due to slow patient enrollment, and had no comparison group. Safety data was not reported.
This is an exploratory trial, so it can't prove the washing causes better outcomes. The findings are promising but very preliminary, and the low certainty means much more research is needed before this could be a standard practice.