Intraperitoneal (ip) administration allows delivery of concentrations of cytotoxic drugs to the site of tumor development that could not be attained by the intravenous (iv) route. Rather than leaving ip delivery systems (Tenckhoff catheter, Port à Cath, etc.) in position for several months, with the attendant risk of complications, we prefer to use a simple needle for lumbar puncture and leave it in place between 1 and 2 hr at each infusion of chemotherapy. Results observed at second-look laparotomy in 31 patients with stage III (FIGO) common epithelial carcinoma, treated from January 1980 to December 1986, are reported after six to ten courses of ip and iv chemotherapy combined. In five patients in whom complete surgical excision had been possible, there was still complete remission (CR). In 26 patients in whom initial surgical excision had been incomplete, there was complete remission in 20 (76%). In the other 6 cases, there were small residual masses (incomplete remission), which could readily be excised by the surgeon. Following second-look laparotomy, these 6 patients received ip maintenance chemotherapy for a further 6 months. During follow-up periods of 22 to 105 months (average 45 months), 8 recurrences were observed (4 of them died); 23 of 31 patients are disease free. At 4 years, actuarial survival was 81.5% and actuarial disease-free survival was 66.2%.