What to expect from chemotherapy for primary peritoneal cancer

Primary peritoneal cancer affects the lining of the abdomen and is treated with medicines that circulate through the body. Chemotherapy may be combined with surgery, given before or after an operation, or used when disease needs treatment beyond an operation. Your plan is based on scan findings, surgical information, pathology, previous medicines and your general health.

Most treatment is delivered by infusion through a vein or an implanted port. Each cycle has treatment visits and a recovery interval. Blood tests help the team decide whether counts and organ function are ready for the next dose. Tiredness, nausea, appetite changes, hair loss, altered bowel habits, mouth soreness and infection risk are possible. Abdominal treatment can also affect bloating, bowel function and nutrition, so report changes rather than waiting for the next appointment.

Keep a calendar for infusion days, medicines and symptoms. Ask about a port, anti-sickness treatment and help with constipation or diarrhoea. Eat small meals that you tolerate, drink as advised, and plan rest after treatment. Arrange transport and support with shopping or childcare when needed. Tell the team about all medicines, allergies, dental concerns, abdominal swelling and any fertility or pregnancy concerns before the first cycle.

Contact your team promptly for fever or chills, persistent vomiting, inability to drink, severe or increasing abdominal pain, a swollen abdomen with difficulty passing stool or gas, unusual bleeding, or redness and drainage at a port. Seek emergency help for severe breathlessness, fainting, confusion or swelling of the face or throat during an infusion. Keep your unit’s fever instructions and after-hours number accessible.

How does chemotherapy fit with surgery in my plan? Which symptoms from abdominal disease should I report immediately? Will a port be needed, and how will bowel function and nutrition be supported? What blood tests are required before each cycle? Who can I call overnight if pain, vomiting or fever develops?