The very first documented case in the Southeast of the Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion (HIPEC) procedure to treat ovarian cancer was performed on Thursday by world-renowned gynecologic oncologist, Benedict B. Benigno, M.D.  Dr. Benigno is executive director of Southeastern Gynecologic Oncology and founder of the Ovarian Cancer Institute, a 501 © 3 not-for-profit established in 1999 to discover a reliable early detection tool for ovarian cancer.

Deemed a revolutionary breakthrough for ovarian cancer treatment, the HIPEC procedure, when used during surgery, will drastically improve the five-year survival rate of women with ovarian cancer, according to Dr. Benigno.  “Thursday’s surgery was a milestone event in the treatment of ovarian cancer, because by performing HIPEC after the actual surgery while the patient is still on the table, one has the ability to destroy many cancer cells that may remain in the abdomen after the cancerous ovary has been removed,” Dr. Benigno explained.

HIPEC, a new technology that has most recently been used for pancreatic and colon cancers, is a procedure done immediately following surgery in the operating room that delivers heated chemotherapy directly into the abdominal cavity, where it can penetrate diseased tissue directly.  “After I removed as much visible cancer as possible in last week’s surgery, I circulated heated chemotherapy throughout my patient’s abdomen to kill the remaining cancer cells that were too small to be seen,” he continued.  The heated chemotherapy is circulated for 90-120 minutes, removed, and then the patient’s abdomen is flushed with a sterile solution.

Considered a combination therapy, surgery and HIPEC are effective at slowing or preventing recurrence of disease and can add quality months or years to a patient’s life.  “The way HIPEC works is that heat kills cancer cells at temperatures where normal cells remain unharmed,” said Dr. Benigno.  And circulating the heated chemotherapy throughout the peritoneal or abdominal cavity allows the drugs to be distributed thoroughly and penetrate directly without subjecting the patient to side effects of these drugs if given intravenously. 

The reason HIPEC could be crucial to ovarian cancer surgery is because of the position of the ovary in the abdominal cavity.  “The ovary is the only organ facing inward, adjacent to the abdomen, and even when it’s removed, invisible cancer cells can ‘jump off’ and implant themselves within the abdominal cavity.  That’s what makes the HIPEC procedure so revolutionary in the treatment of ovarian cancer,” explained Dr. Benigno.

To learn more about HIPEC, visit www.HIPECtreatment.org.  To learn more about the Ovarian Cancer Institute or to make an online donation, go to www.ovariancancerinstitute.org. 

About the Ovarian Cancer Institute

The Ovarian Cancer Institute (OCI) was established in 1999 as a 501 (c) 3, not-for-profit organization dedicated to finding a reliable early diagnostic test for ovarian cancer, understanding the molecular basis of ovarian cancer and the cause of chemotherapy resistance, leading to the development of more effective therapies for the disease.  The Institute’s mission is to develop innovative research leading to earlier detection and more effective treatment of the cancer; to provide educational opportunities for medical professionals; and to educate women with respect to the early symptoms of ovarian cancer and to empower them to seek appropriate care immediately.  The OCI lab is located on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in downtown Atlanta, GA.  For more information, visit www.ovariancancerinstitute.org. 

Tags: cancer