HIPEC (Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy)

Cancer cells are much more sensitive and fragile to heat than healthy cells. A temperature of 42-43 degrees both begins to kill cancer cells on its own and allows the administered chemotherapy drug to penetrate much deeper and faster into the tumor. Compared to a drug given intravenously, its regional effect is manifold higher.

Since the chemotherapy drug administered intravenously circulates throughout the entire body, the dose is necessarily kept limited (due to side effects). Also, because the vascularization of the peritoneum is a weak area, the drug given intravenously cannot fully reach here. In HIPEC, however, the drug comes into direct contact with the target (inside the abdomen) and since it mixes very little into the blood, systemic side effects such as hair loss and nausea are experienced less.

Because of the process of cleaning all organs from cancer one by one and the subsequent 1-2 hours of hot washing procedure, these surgeries are quite major (high-risk) operations that usually take 6 to 12 hours. It must definitely be performed in Oncological Surgery centers that are very experienced in this matter.

In the past, cancers that had spread inside the abdomen (peritoneal carcinomatosis) were considered as "nothing can be done". However, with HIPEC, survival times can be extended for years in well-selected patients, and even complete eradication of the disease (cure) can be achieved in some patients.