Hepatobiliary
In June 2022, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center became the first hospital in the Baton Rouge region to perform hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat cancer of the abdomen. Mohammad Al Efishat, MD, a surgical oncologist at Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute, successfully performed the procedure on a patient with advanced appendix tumor that has spread inside the abdomen who otherwise would not have found success with traditional chemotherapy.
Learn more about the HIPEC procedure and how this game-changing technology can help cancer patients:
What is the HIPEC Procedure?
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy applies heated chemotherapy drugs directly to the affected areas of the abdomen to eliminate any hard-to-find tumor cells. It is usually part of a two-step procedure that begins with open surgery to remove or “debulk” any visible tumors before treating the area with the heated chemotherapy. HIPEC allows for a higher dose of chemotherapy to be applied directly into the abdomen at a high temperature, which augments its effectiveness in killing cancer cells compared to traditional intravenous chemotherapy.
When is the HIPEC Procedure an Option?
Advanced abdominal cancers that have spread beyond the organ in which it originated, such as to the lining of the abdominal cavity, may become more difficult to treat with traditional chemotherapy. HIPEC provides an alternative for these late-stage and potentially inoperable cancers. “HIPEC is a true game-changer, as it helps a patient population with advanced tumors who otherwise would have no curative treatment options,” Dr. Efishat says.
Some of the common cancers treated with HIPEC:
- Appendix cancer
- Colon and rectal cancer
- Gastric (stomach) cancer
- Mesothelioma
- Ovarian cancer
- Peritoneal cancer
What Can Patients Expect from the Procedure?
HIPEC involves open surgery, and the operating time depends on the extent of the cancer’s spread. On average, a patient will stay in the hospital for recovery and observation for about two weeks and should expect a two- to three-month recovery at home. As with other chemotherapy treatments, side effects include fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite and low blood cells count, though all of these can be managed and treated with the help of your doctor and our Cancer Institute’s extensive team of specialists.
The success of the HIPEC procedure has led to a 5-year survival rate as high as 90% for certain tumors of the appendix.
To learn more about HIPEC and to see if you are a candidate for the surgery, visit the Our Lady of the Lake Surgeons Group or call (225) 769-5656.
Information sourced from the American Cancer Society and Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Incidental Nodule Program
Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Institute’s Lung Nodule Program is helping to identify more patients with lung cancer at earlier stages, often even before they experience symptoms. Every week a multidisciplinary team of experts gathers to review CT scans with lung nodules that were taken for some other reason, such as a scan of the abdomen for another condition. If lung nodules were noticed in those scans, this team will discuss next steps, such as ongoing monitoring of the patient or plans for a biopsy or more testing. Since starting in spring 2021, the program has identified many patients with lung cancer earlier and put them on a path for recovery.