Hipec Surgery

Introduction

HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy) is a cancer treatment that targets tumors in the abdominal (peritoneal) cavity, which houses your liver, stomach, and other organs. Healthcare providers frequently employ HIPEC to treat cancer that has spread (metastasised) from another part of the body to the abdominal cavity. During hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, surgeons remove cancerous tumours before administering hot chemotherapy medications into your abdominal cavity. HIPEC can not cure cancer, but it may help you live longer with it. 

The treatment works by targeting microscopic cancerous cells in the abdominal cavity.

• "Hyperthermic" means "heated" or "hot." Heat is cytotoxic, which means it kills cancer. According to research, heating certain chemotherapy medications increases their capacity to destroy cancer. During HIPEC, chemotherapeutic medicines are heated to 108 degrees Fahrenheit (41-43 °C).

• "Intraperitoneal chemotherapy" refers to the chemotherapy in which a chemotherapeutic drug is directly injected into tumor cells in your abdominal cavity. HIPEC involves a continuous flow of heated chemotherapeutic chemicals that wash through your abdominal cavity.

Cancers are treated with HIPEC

HIPEC is commonly used by healthcare practitioners to treat various metastatic malignancies, including adrenal cancer, appendix cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, ovarian cancer, and stomach cancer.

They may also use HIPEC to treat tumors that begin in the abdomen, such as primary peritoneal carcinoma, peritoneal mesothelioma, and pseudomyxoma pertonei.

Procedure 

During the procedure

HIPEC is the second step in a two-part process. The first step is cytoreduction, a surgical procedure that removes malignant tumors and damaged tissue from your abdominal cavity. Below-mentioned steps are included in effective HIPEC treatment

• You will be given general anesthesia, so you will not experience any pain during the procedure.

• Your surgeon will make an incision in your abdomen to remove cancerous tumors and affected tissue.

• When you are under anesthesia, the surgeon inserts a catheter through an abdominal incision.

• The catheter (or catheters) will be connected to a machine that heats the chemotherapy to approximately 108 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius).

• A pump will transport the chemotherapy through the catheter to the inside of your stomach.

• Sometimes, the surgeon can move your body from one side to another side to ensure even distribution of heated chemotherapeutic drugs in the abdomen. 

• This treatment may take a few hours, which can differ depending on the amount of tumor cells.

• Once your surgeon has finished treating you, they will drain the chemotherapy drugs from your abdomen and rinse it with saline.

• Your surgeon will close any incisions that were made during the procedure.

After the procedure

That depends on your situation and the type of surgery used to remove the cancerous tumour. In rare situations, you may need to use a feeding tube to provide sustenance while your body recovers. That's because HIPEC uses massive doses of potent chemotherapy, which can impair intestinal function. Most people remain in the hospital for several days to two weeks following therapy.

Benefits

HIPEC provides some advantages over traditional chemotherapy:

• You may experience fewer serious side effects because 90% of the chemotherapy remains in your abdominal cavity, and your body can safely absorb and eliminate the small amount that does seep out.

• Cancer-killing drugs will be administered to an area of your body that systemic chemotherapy cannot or does not normally treat. Systemic chemotherapy, which flows throughout your body, cannot pass through your peritoneum barrier. This is the membrane that lines your abdominal cavity and protects the organs located there.

• You can receive higher doses or more intense chemotherapy, which can eliminate more cancerous cells that remain after surgery.

• You can complete treatment in one session instead of having multiple therapy sessions over several weeks.

Risks 

All procedures have risks, including severe bleeding and infection. HIPEC hazards can vary based on the kind of malignancy and the chemotherapy medications used following surgery. If you undergo HIPEC, your surgeon will describe the dangers associated.

Side effects

Pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, weight loss, exhaustion, depression, and temporary loss of bowel function are all possible side effects of HIPEC treatment.

Conclusion

HIPEC is a combined method of cytoreductive surgery and hot chemotherapy. It improves management outcomes by removing visible tumors and delivering chemotherapy directly to the affected abdominal site. Further, this method has numerous advantages, such as increased drug efficacy due to heat, fewer systemic adverse effects, and the potential for higher long-term survival rates.