Abstract:Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) combined with primary debulking surgery (PDS) or interval debulking surgery (IDS) in the treatment of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 419 patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer treated at Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, from February 2013 to February 2023. All patients underwent comprehensive preoperative evaluations to determine the feasibility of optimal cytoreduction and were subsequently categorized into PDS or IDS groups. Postoperatively, all patients received conventional chemotherapy. Among the 303 patients who underwent PDS, 121 received HIPEC post-surgery (PDS + HIPEC group), while 182 did not receive HIPEC (PDS group). Among the 116 patients who underwent IDS, 42 received HIPEC post-surgery (IDS + HIPEC group), while 74 did not receive HIPEC (IDS group). Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and the incidence of adverse events were compared between the respective groups. Subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of HIPEC on PFS and OS in different subgroups.Results No statistically significant differences were observed in terms of age, BMI, pathological type, FIGO stage, presence of ascites, BRCA status, levels of CA125, HE4, hemoglobin, and serum creatinine before treatment, residual lesions after surgery, and the number of intravenous chemotherapy sessions between the PDS group and the PDS + HIPEC group (P > 0.05). Similarly, no statistically significant differences were found in these parameters as well as the number of neoadjuvant chemotherapy sessions between the IDS group and the IDS + HIPEC group (P > 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in median PFS or OS between the PDS group and the PDS + HIPEC group (P > 0.05). In contrast, statistically significant differences were observed in median PFS and OS between the IDS group and the IDS + HIPEC group (P < 0.05). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that age ≥ 55 years [H^R = 1.621 (95% CI: 1.093, 2.403) ] and residual lesions after surgery ≥ R1 [H^R = 2.007 (95% CI: 1.322, 3.047) ] were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with advanced ovarian cancer treated with PDS (P < 0.05). For patients undergoing IDS, residual lesions after surgery ≥ R1 [H^R = 1.873 (95% CI: 1.046, 3.356) ] was identified as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis (P < 0.05). Postoperative HIPEC [H^R = 0.561 (95% CI: 0.326, 0.967) ] was associated with a protective effect on patient outcomes (P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis further demonstrated that patients treated with IDS who had serous carcinoma, FIGO stage Ⅳ tumors, and residual lesions after surgery ≥ R1 derived significant survival benefits from HIPEC (P < 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in the incidence rates of anemia, diarrhea, constipation, intestinal obstruction, thrombosis, acute renal function injury, liver function abnormalities, and electrolyte disorders between the PDS group and the PDS + HIPEC group, or between the IDS group and the IDS + HIPEC group (P > 0.05).Conclusions Patients with advanced ovarian cancer undergoing IDS demonstrate significant improvements in survival following the addition of HIPEC. However, the survival advantage in those receiving PDS remains inconclusive. Notably, HIPEC does not increase the incidence of adverse events, and its therapeutic efficacy may be affected by factors such as pathological subtype, FIGO stage, and the extent of residual lesions after cytoreductive surgery.