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Malignant Ascites: Diagnosis and Treatment

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Malignant Effusions

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Abstract

Malignant ascites are the cancer-associated accumulation of fluids in the peritoneal cavity and associated with significant morbidity. The neoplasms most frequently associated with ascites are ovarian, pancreato-biliary, gastric, oesophageal, colorectal, and breast cancers. The management of malignant ascites is a significant clinical problem. In the majority of patients systemic chemotherapy is ineffective and diuretics and paracentesis are still the only approaches, but new promising options are appearing, such as cytoreductive debulking surgery and intraperitoneal or intravenous biological (target) therapies. More promising, after the recognition of potential epithelial targets such as Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM), are the trifunctional antibodies able to bind these cell adhesion molecules, and the immune system cells. These agents have been developed for malignant ascites with the aim also to prolong subsequent paracentesis.

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  1. Division of Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Treviglio-Caravaggio Hospital, Treviglio, Italy

    Fausto Petrelli & Sandro Barni

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  1. Research Center RAMS, Laboratory of Cell Immunity, N.N. Blokhin Russian Cancer, Kashirskoye sh. 24, Moscow, 115478, Russia

    Mikhail V. Kiselevsky

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Petrelli, F., Barni, S. (2012). Malignant Ascites: Diagnosis and Treatment. In: Kiselevsky, M. (eds) Malignant Effusions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4783-8_4

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