Hipec if cancer other places

Vickilg
Vickilg Member Posts: 281 Member

Does anyone know if they can do HIPEC if there is cancer other places?  I have three spots in pelvis but have spots other places too.  I just figure if they can get as much out as possible it helps my odds.  

Comments

  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member
    vivki dear i don't think so

    briefly i had similar disease spread peritoneal mets, 2 big liver suckers and a small lung.

    i was advised by sugarbaker indirectly not to bother with hipec if i could not get other cancer stable or reduced. you get all chopped and it comes back.

    this happened to rick ( may he rest in peace ). I place alot of value on our shared experiences, maybe you could consider mine.

    that said my hipec surgeon prof morris was willing to cut and dice me. its just i was a nervous nellie, so i chickened out to germany as a last ditcvh effort to avoid chemo and hardcore surgery and six months hardcore systemic chemo. with 33% survival odds.

    going to germany was the best decision I have ever made, now that my results are in.

    goodluck with whatever you decide.

    hugs,

    Pete

    ps the strategy has to be stopping new mets and controlling the existing ones. chemo just does not work as a cure.  dr chang in new york does dendritic cell vaccines made out of the lab i am going to in 9 days to get my second vaccine made. pm me for details or read my blog, search vaccines.

     

  • tachilders
    tachilders Member Posts: 313

    vivki dear i don't think so

    briefly i had similar disease spread peritoneal mets, 2 big liver suckers and a small lung.

    i was advised by sugarbaker indirectly not to bother with hipec if i could not get other cancer stable or reduced. you get all chopped and it comes back.

    this happened to rick ( may he rest in peace ). I place alot of value on our shared experiences, maybe you could consider mine.

    that said my hipec surgeon prof morris was willing to cut and dice me. its just i was a nervous nellie, so i chickened out to germany as a last ditcvh effort to avoid chemo and hardcore surgery and six months hardcore systemic chemo. with 33% survival odds.

    going to germany was the best decision I have ever made, now that my results are in.

    goodluck with whatever you decide.

    hugs,

    Pete

    ps the strategy has to be stopping new mets and controlling the existing ones. chemo just does not work as a cure.  dr chang in new york does dendritic cell vaccines made out of the lab i am going to in 9 days to get my second vaccine made. pm me for details or read my blog, search vaccines.

     

    What hospital does Dr. Chang

    What hospital does Dr. Chang work through?  There are a couple in New York that my insurance will cover, including Sloan-Kettering....

  • tachilders
    tachilders Member Posts: 313
    I think you and I are both

    I think you and I are both searching for whatever options are out there to help us, as we have had similar diagnosis from our oncologists (i.e. chemo for life, no surgical option).  Best of luck, and stay strong.

    Tedd

  • hippiechicks
    hippiechicks Member Posts: 509 Member
    Actually going to meet with

    Actually going to meet with HIPEC surgeon Monday AM.  I will have an answer for you then if no luck here.  Were you told HIPEC will help with pelvic mets.? 

  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member
    Hi Vicki,
    As Pete mentioned,

    Hi Vicki,

    As Pete mentioned, Rick's HIPEC surgeon told him that a surgeon will not do HIPEC surgery on anyone with active cancer in other areas.  If the person has had liver/lung surgery and remains stable and NED for over six months, then HIPEC would be considered.  Rick's oncologist didn't recommend HIPEC since Rick had had initial lymph node involvement, but Rick wanted to go for it anyway.  At the time, he was considered NED, so HIPEC was performed.  Unfortunately, the cancer showed its ugly head again only four months later. 

    (HIPEC should never be taken likely, this is a very dangerous and painful surgery.  It took Rick over four months to recover from it, and he was only 43 yrs. old.)

    All my best,

    Cynthia

  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    I think you'd have a hard
    I think you'd have a hard time finding a surgeon willing to perform HIPEC as long as there is cancer outside of the abdominal cavity. My husband, Steve, did HIPEC. Like Rick, Steve's cancer returned four months later. Cynthia's right. HIPEC is a biggie. Steve's surgery was ten hours. The day after, the anesthesiologist told him that HIPEC is the harshest surgery a person can have. We have no regrets. There will be no "what ifs". It does sadden me that he had to go through it. It was a long and painful recovery. It didn't cure Steve, but it has but it has made all the difference for others.
  • hippiechicks
    hippiechicks Member Posts: 509 Member

    Hi Vicki,
    As Pete mentioned,

    Hi Vicki,

    As Pete mentioned, Rick's HIPEC surgeon told him that a surgeon will not do HIPEC surgery on anyone with active cancer in other areas.  If the person has had liver/lung surgery and remains stable and NED for over six months, then HIPEC would be considered.  Rick's oncologist didn't recommend HIPEC since Rick had had initial lymph node involvement, but Rick wanted to go for it anyway.  At the time, he was considered NED, so HIPEC was performed.  Unfortunately, the cancer showed its ugly head again only four months later. 

    (HIPEC should never be taken likely, this is a very dangerous and painful surgery.  It took Rick over four months to recover from it, and he was only 43 yrs. old.)

    All my best,

    Cynthia

    Hi Cynthia
    I was wondering

    Hi Cynthia

    I was wondering where Rick had his HIPEC surgery.  I think we are from the same area and I am searching for as many opinions and advice I can find.  Trying to sort through lots of information right now.

  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member

    Hi Cynthia
    I was wondering

    Hi Cynthia

    I was wondering where Rick had his HIPEC surgery.  I think we are from the same area and I am searching for as many opinions and advice I can find.  Trying to sort through lots of information right now.

    Hi,
    Rick had the surgery at

    Hi,

    Rick had the surgery at Tufts Medical in Boston.  His surgeon was Dr. Martin Goodman.  He's really a great doctor, very skilled and quite personable.

    Feel free to send me a PM if you have any HIPEC questions.

    Take care,

    Cynthia

     

  • pete43lost_at_sea
    pete43lost_at_sea Member Posts: 3,900 Member

    Hi,
    Rick had the surgery at

    Hi,

    Rick had the surgery at Tufts Medical in Boston.  His surgeon was Dr. Martin Goodman.  He's really a great doctor, very skilled and quite personable.

    Feel free to send me a PM if you have any HIPEC questions.

    Take care,

    Cynthia

     

    thanks again cynthia

    dear cynthia,

    this is such a hard twisted illness, how can I ever thank you for sharing what you learnt for rick's hipec with me.

    when you shared your experience in a way made me less inclined to be diced and chopped and chemo'd, i went to germany instead and had hipec as a fallback.

    sweety if my crazy path is a workable, reliable path, well you can smile and have a tear or two. i would not have been on that plane on the 6th oct 2012 full of cancer without hearing ricks story.

    I never shared this here before, a few weeks into german therapy, i made a new close friend who had been HIPECed recently by my surgeon, he hated the surgeon. He was opened, screwwed and closed. Sometimes gungho surgeons fail, that was my friend's case. Hearing his story, I felt even more relief at differing my HIPEC. My friends's PCI was to high, its was an open and close with alot of poking about, with a dash of palliative surgery. It still took 4 hours and a few months to recover. During the surgery / recovery window my friends cancer grew into his stomach. he is fighting a very tough battle, not made any easier by his HIPEC. so HIPEC has to be balanced with other options.

    now i am leaving back to germany on the 2nd february without any visible cancer on the scan and hopefully my cea will be zero when tested on tuesday. here is hoping.

    thank you again cynthia for sharing whats been life enhancing if not life saving advice. rick is looking after us in a way.

    HIPEC is a great option, don't get me wrong, I am still on the list, but the surgeon does not want to see me until after i get back from my next german vacation with some medicine on the side. Given they don't do systemic chemo, most onc would say your not having any treatment.

    hugs,

    Pete

    PSit seems finding the real risks of conventional therapies is left to our community, thats the silver lining when you share our suffering and loss, we lighten our load and educate our friends. As educated patients we can ask about the risks based on the stories we have shared.

    PPS I have an opening to have a consult with the german HIPEC surgeon, one of the best they say, doing the trial preop HIPEC. I will try and see him, to see if he wants to cut and dice me like my sydney surgeon does. To my sydney surgeons credit, he is offering me 50/50 odds of lasting 5 years, up from 33% in early october. He cannot factor in the german therapies. I am grateful he is managing my case based on his clinical experience, for that i am respectful. can you see how tricky being well is. but its worth all the effort. The sydney HIPEC surgeons pessimism was a factor in making my return to germany so easy.

     

  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member

    thanks again cynthia

    dear cynthia,

    this is such a hard twisted illness, how can I ever thank you for sharing what you learnt for rick's hipec with me.

    when you shared your experience in a way made me less inclined to be diced and chopped and chemo'd, i went to germany instead and had hipec as a fallback.

    sweety if my crazy path is a workable, reliable path, well you can smile and have a tear or two. i would not have been on that plane on the 6th oct 2012 full of cancer without hearing ricks story.

    I never shared this here before, a few weeks into german therapy, i made a new close friend who had been HIPECed recently by my surgeon, he hated the surgeon. He was opened, screwwed and closed. Sometimes gungho surgeons fail, that was my friend's case. Hearing his story, I felt even more relief at differing my HIPEC. My friends's PCI was to high, its was an open and close with alot of poking about, with a dash of palliative surgery. It still took 4 hours and a few months to recover. During the surgery / recovery window my friends cancer grew into his stomach. he is fighting a very tough battle, not made any easier by his HIPEC. so HIPEC has to be balanced with other options.

    now i am leaving back to germany on the 2nd february without any visible cancer on the scan and hopefully my cea will be zero when tested on tuesday. here is hoping.

    thank you again cynthia for sharing whats been life enhancing if not life saving advice. rick is looking after us in a way.

    HIPEC is a great option, don't get me wrong, I am still on the list, but the surgeon does not want to see me until after i get back from my next german vacation with some medicine on the side. Given they don't do systemic chemo, most onc would say your not having any treatment.

    hugs,

    Pete

    PSit seems finding the real risks of conventional therapies is left to our community, thats the silver lining when you share our suffering and loss, we lighten our load and educate our friends. As educated patients we can ask about the risks based on the stories we have shared.

    PPS I have an opening to have a consult with the german HIPEC surgeon, one of the best they say, doing the trial preop HIPEC. I will try and see him, to see if he wants to cut and dice me like my sydney surgeon does. To my sydney surgeons credit, he is offering me 50/50 odds of lasting 5 years, up from 33% in early october. He cannot factor in the german therapies. I am grateful he is managing my case based on his clinical experience, for that i am respectful. can you see how tricky being well is. but its worth all the effort. The sydney HIPEC surgeons pessimism was a factor in making my return to germany so easy.

     

     
    Oh my, thank you.  Your

     

    Oh my, thank you.  Your post has tears are running down my cheeks as I write this. I'm sure that he would have been very pleased with your NED status, as we all are.

    Take care, and stay well,

    Cyn