OSF HealthCare in Peoria has a new staff member to offer the late stage cancer treatment HIPEC, a potentially life-saving option.
HIPEC [hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy] is a surgery that follows up the widely practiced cytoreductive surgery. In cytoreductive surgery, a surgeon removes as much of the cancer from the body as possible.
HIPEC is the introduction of heated chemotherapy following the cytoreductive procedure, in an attempt to treat any tumor cells leftover. The heated chemo, brought to around 106 degrees Fahrenheit, is then applied to the abdominal cavity.
Dr. Tamara Floyd, the surgical oncologist brought in to perform the operation at OSF, says the procedure is most effective on cancers that have spread into the abdomen. The type most responsive to the procedure is called low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm, or LAMN.
Floyd says appendiceal, colon, rectal, gastric and stomach cancer is also treatable with HIPEC.
“Additionally, with more data, pancreatic cancer is being looked at as well,” she said. “Even patients with breast cancer. Another cancer that benefits from HIPEC is peritoneal mesothelioma.”
HIPEC can be an effective treatment for any stage of cancer. But, Dr. Floyd says it presents a particularly important option in the later stages of the disease, when other treatments become impossible.
“It’s beneficial to have the option of doing HIPEC, or cytoreductive surgeries, for patients who have peritoneal spread of disease, which for most cancers means it is a stage four disease,” said Floyd. “In a lot of instances, if you’re talking about stage 4 disease, there aren’t a lot of other options.”
The recovery time for HIPEC surgeries can be 1-2 weeks in a hospital facility. Floyd says offering this option in central Illinois is important so patients can stay near their family and friends during the considerable recovery period.
Floyd says hours of travel time can turn patients and their families away from getting proper care.
OSF Saint Francis representatives say Floyd has performed one HIPEC so far, with another already scheduled.
Within the next year, OSF plans for Floyd’s team to perform three to four HIPEC surgeries every month at the new OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute.
