5 important things that you should know about HIPEC therapy for cancers
There are certain types of cancers which are difficult to treat. Cancers such as “Colon Cancers”, “ovarian cancer” which spread to the peritoneum only and not elsewhere are difficult to treat as the chemotherapy finds itself difficult to reach the peritoneum surface and hence these tumors are best treated by HIPEC.
1. So, what is Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)?
HIPEC stands for Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy. Certain cancers which are limited to peritoneum lining can receive HIPEC. In basic language it’s a chemotherapy medicine which is heated around 42-degreeCelsius so that it penetrates tissues better. Conventional injectable chemotherapy is not able to reach the peritoneal surface and HIPEC delivers chemotherapy straightly to the cancer cells in the abdomen.
2. What all cancers can be treated by HIPEC surgery?
Certain cancers such as colon cancers , ovarian cancers , gastric cancers , mesotheliaoms , primary peritoneal carcinomatosis , and appendiceal cancers can be treated by HIPEC surgery.Dr.Archit is one of the “Best HIPEC Surgeon in South Delhi”
3. Can HIPEC be done in all patients who suffer from above mentioned cancers?
NO,HIPEC is a very selective procedure which can only be done in those patients of above mentioned cancers in whom the tumour has not spread beyond the peritoneum. For eg,if the disease has gone to liver or lungs or other parts of the body then HIPEC is contraindicated .
4. Is HIPEC surgery risky ?
NO. Despite the complexity of the surgery and the hemodynamic changes that happen during the surgery now days HIPEC is a safe surgery with life risk not ranging beyond 3 % in experience hands .
5. Can HIPEC be performed in any Center?
NO. It’s important to realize that HIPEC is a specialized procedure and it can be performed best by those who have good experience in handling this surgery . A good anesthesia unit is equally important as the surgeon who is performing the surgery.
Now a days we are seeing more and more patients surviving the 5yr survival barrier with good Cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC surgery as compared to years back when we used to call these patients incurable.
Refer to our patient testimonial below who is now a 5 year cancer survivor who had Stage IIIC ovarian cancer. A few years back we use to consider these patients inoperable and incurable however now we can aim for cure in these subsets of patient.
6. How is HIPEC performed?
Phase I : Cytoreductive Surgery.
Firstly, the doctor performs cytoreductive surgery to evacuate as much tumor as possible from the abdominal cavity.
Without this surgery, HIPEC is ineffective because the chemo drugs are not able to penetrate deep into cancerous tumors.
Phase II : Chemotherapy Bath.
In this phase, if there are any remaining cancer cells that are left after heated chemotherapy then immediately Chemotherapy Bathsurgery is performed to extend survival and prevent cancer recurrence.
In this phase, if there are any remaining cancer cells that are left after heated chemotherapy then immediately Chemotherapy Bathsurgery is performed to extend survival and prevent cancer recurrence.
Commonly chemotherapy drugs, which are used,are gemcitabine, carboplatin, doxorubicin, pemetrexed, and cisplatin. Rather than injecting these drugs directly your blood, doctors deliver them straightly to patient’s abdomen or chest.
