Background: Peritoneal metastasis arising from colorectal cancer, appendiceal cancer, gastric cancer and gynecologic malignancies, or primary peritoneal surface malignancies such as peritoneal mesothelioma and primary peritoneal adenocarcinoma may be efficiently treated by cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in selected patients. Method: CRS is based on the technique of parietal and visceral peritonectomy and consists of multiple surgical procedures. HIPEC combines high local doses of cytostatics with the additional cytotoxic effects of hyperthermia. Results: The goal of CRS is to achieve a complete macroscopic cytoreduction (CC-0/1) as a precondition for consecutive HIPEC that should destroy residual tumor cells within the abdominal cavity. Conclusion: CRS and HIPEC can be performed with acceptable morbidity and low mortality in specialized centers. However, due to long learning curves, consistent surgical training is strongly recommended.