Biomarkers in the Management of Peritoneal Metastases

Selected patients with peritoneal metastases are treated with a curative intent, the backbone of which is cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with or without hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Despite this aggressive and morbid treatment, a large majority of the patients develop recurrence and/or progressive disease. In the era of molecular oncology, molecular markers have been gaining increasing focus as they not only have prognostic value and can improve patient selection, but can also serve as therapeutic targets for developing systemic therapies. Whole genome sequencing has accelerated the process of biomarker discovery. As the field of peritoneal oncology is evolving, many studies have been done and are ongoing, to assess the utility of biomarkers in various aspects of management of peritoneal metastases. This chapter provides a review of the known and emerging biomarkers related to some common peritoneal tumors.