OnCo
termsTerm

HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy)

aka hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy, PIPAC, pressurised intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy

After surgeons remove all visible tumour from the abdominal lining, the abdomen is bathed for 60-90 minutes in heated chemotherapy to kill the microscopic cells left behind.

Cytoreductive surgery plus HIPEC is standard for pseudomyxoma peritonei and appendiceal cancers and has randomised support in ovarian cancer (van Driel 2018, OVHIPEC-1) and gastric cancer prevention of peritoneal recurrence, but PRODIGE 7 showed no benefit of oxaliplatin HIPEC in colorectal peritoneal metastases, so its role there rests on complete cytoreduction alone. Heat (41-43°C) increases drug penetration to a few millimetres. PIPAC delivers aerosolised chemotherapy laparoscopically for unresectable peritoneal disease and is in trials.

Category
Procedures

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