FAQs
What are the benefits of HIPEC?
Because HIPEC can be directly targeted at the sites of your tumors, it allows for a higher concentration of chemotherapy to be delivered into your abdomen. This can be done more effectively and safely than standard chemotherapy, which is delivered intravenously, and cannot be targeted. HIPEC also generally has fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
With HIPEC, the chemotherapy solution is able to better penetrate affected tissue to destroy microscopic cancer cells. For certain cancer types, including appendiceal cancers, HIPEC used in combination with surgical tumor removal is associated with improved outcomes when compared with surgery or chemotherapy alone.
How is HIPEC different than traditional chemotherapy?
HIPEC delivers a high dose of chemotherapy directly to cancer cells in your abdomen. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which is given intravenously and circulated through your bloodstream, much higher doses of chemotherapy can be given to kill cancer cells in a single treatment.
In HIPEC, chemotherapy is heated to 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius), which helps the chemotherapy more effectively kill cancer cells.
HIPEC also can have fewer side effects than traditional, intravenous chemotherapy, since little of the chemotherapy gets absorbed into your bloodstream. Side effects from tumor removal surgery with HIPEC are often related to the surgical procedure, not the chemotherapy.
Am I a candidate for HIPEC?
Whether HIPEC is appropriate for you depends on your tumor type, your cancer’s stage and how quickly it is growing, as well as your overall medical condition. You should check with your care team or schedule an appointment to learn if you are a candidate. Cancer types that are most frequently treated with HIPEC include pseudomyxoma peritonei, primary peritoneal mesothelioma, colorectal cancer, appendiceal cancer, gastric cancer and ovarian cancer that have not spread beyond the abdomen.
If you are diagnosed with a gastrointestinal tumor, we will carefully consider what kind of tumor you have before recommending treatment options. When considering HIPEC, we will look at your tumor histology to determine if the procedure is appropriate for you.
We will also decide whether to use surgery with HIPEC as the first approach to treating your cancer or whether to shrink the disease with chemotherapy first to make it more responsive to surgery.
If surgery is not feasible or unlikely to improve outcomes, or if you have other medical conditions prohibiting you from undergoing a lengthy surgery, this option likely is not right for you.
What happens during HIPEC?
One of our surgeons will surgically remove your tumor while you are under general anesthesia. The procedure typically lasts between six and nine hours but may take longer.
After we remove the visible cancer from your abdominal cavity, HIPEC begins. During HIPEC, we heat chemotherapy to 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) and circulate it through your abdomen. We will take special precautions to keep your body temperature within a safe range during HIPEC. The procedure, also known as “hot chemotherapy,” lasts about 90 minutes.
What is recovery like after HIPEC?
After HIPEC, patients generally stay in the hospital for seven to 10 days. During that time, your digestive system will need to recover from the intense dose of chemotherapy you received. You’ll get your nutrition via a feeding tube or IV while you recover.
Because the procedure involves a one-time, targeted dose of chemotherapy, there is minimal chemotherapy exposure to the rest of your body. This means that the typical chemotherapy side effects, such as hair loss and mouth sores, can be avoided.
What if I need to travel to Penn Medicine for HIPEC?
If your local oncologist refers you to Penn Medicine for HIPEC treatment, we will form a close relationship with them, work with them and keep them informed of your care.
While in Philadelphia for treatment, you’ll stay in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Find directions, transportation options and parking information, and learn more about what to expect during your stay.