A major difficulty in treating patients with cancer that has spread widely on lining surfaces in the stomach cavity (abdomen, peritoneal cavity) is that it is often not possible to remove all the cancer cells. As a result, the cancer often persists despite surgical and other treatments.
Since 1993, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center has been researching/performing a procedure called Intra-Peritoneal Hyperthermic (heated) Chemotherapy (IPHC) as an adjunct therapy to surgery.
About the Procedure
On Thursday Nov. 17 at 5 p.m., Edward A. Levine, M.D., professor of surgical oncology at Wake Forest Baptist will perform surgery and IPHC during a live internet broadcast. He will be assisted by Perry Shen. M.D., assistant professor, section on surgical oncology, and John Stewart, M.D., assistant professor of surgery.
After surgically removing all visible cancer in the abdomen, IPHC is used to apply heated chemotherapy agents directly to the abdominal cavity to kill remaining cancer cells. The heated fluid contains the anti-cancer drug Mitomycin-C, which has been shown to be more effective at killing tumor cells. The solution is circulated in a circuit between the abdomen and the perfusion pump for (typically) two hours.
At Wake Forest Baptist we have treated over 400 patients with this approach. Currently, it is being offered as standard treatment on the basis of results from earlier clinical trials. The goal of the surgery is to remove as much tumor as possible, to preserve as much normal tissue as possible and preserve organ function to maximize quality of life in the short and long-term. Once considered a palliative treatment, more and more patients are surviving for many years, offering the hope that IPHC may one day be considered curative for some cancers.