Heated Chemo

mrsptsu2012
mrsptsu2012 Member Posts: 63
in Ovarian Cancer #1
My sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer two years ago. She lives in East TN and was in the military. This afforded her to travel to Atlanta to receive heated chemo. I don't know exactly what this procedure is. I just have to go on what she is willing to share. However, after that treatment along with a series of other chemo treatment; she is now cancer free. She was in stage 3 when they caught it. She has done very well with all the different chemo treatments. She is a real trooper! I don't know the different names of treatment being mentioned on the discussion board. If anyone knows what I am talking about, please educate me.

Comments

  • mopar
    mopar Member Posts: 1,972 Member
    #2
    HEATED CHEMO?
    I don't know what that is either, but I'll be watching for feedback from the ladies.

    So happy to hear your sister is NED! This is encouraging for all of us, especially considering she was Stage 3. Continued health to your sister!

    Monika
  • survivingovca
    survivingovca Member Posts: 23
    #3
    Could it be HIPEC?
    It sounds like heated interperitoneal chemotherapy to me (a quick google search came up with this http://www.hipectreatment.com/documents/hipec.php).

    I'm so glad your sister is doing well!
  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980 Member
    #4
    survivingovca said:

    Could it be HIPEC?
    It sounds like heated interperitoneal chemotherapy to me (a quick google search came up with this http://www.hipectreatment.com/documents/hipec.php).

    I'm so glad your sister is doing well!

    Yes, it's HIPEC you're talking about, I think.
    One of the ladies on the uterine cancer discussion board at this same website had HIPEC done when her grade 3 uterine cancer seeded throughout the peritoneal area. She achieved a pretty nice remission by combining a 'second look' debulking/scraping of all visible cancer. and then the heated chemo poured in (HIPEC). It is a serious treatment and required a multi-day hospitalization to manage the accompanying pain. She had to be in good physical condition for them to do it, strong going in. But she would do it again and recommends those with a broadly-seeded type of metastasis consider it. The slang term is 'shake and bake', as they gently rock your body when the heated chemo is poured into the incision to slosh it all over the area and let it into any crevices, etc. to kill the microscopic cancer cells. Her oncologist is a big believer in it, but the hospital where I go HIPEC is done in Interventional Radiology where 'overly aggressive' (my chemo oncologist's words) treatments are available for difficult cases and 'highly motivated' patients (again, my chemo oncologist's words). I'm one of those 'highly motivated' patients and would do HIPEC if my cancer spread in this broadly-seeded fashion.
  • Tethys41
    Tethys41 Member Posts: 1,382 Member
    #5
    lindaprocopio said:

    Yes, it's HIPEC you're talking about, I think.
    One of the ladies on the uterine cancer discussion board at this same website had HIPEC done when her grade 3 uterine cancer seeded throughout the peritoneal area. She achieved a pretty nice remission by combining a 'second look' debulking/scraping of all visible cancer. and then the heated chemo poured in (HIPEC). It is a serious treatment and required a multi-day hospitalization to manage the accompanying pain. She had to be in good physical condition for them to do it, strong going in. But she would do it again and recommends those with a broadly-seeded type of metastasis consider it. The slang term is 'shake and bake', as they gently rock your body when the heated chemo is poured into the incision to slosh it all over the area and let it into any crevices, etc. to kill the microscopic cancer cells. Her oncologist is a big believer in it, but the hospital where I go HIPEC is done in Interventional Radiology where 'overly aggressive' (my chemo oncologist's words) treatments are available for difficult cases and 'highly motivated' patients (again, my chemo oncologist's words). I'm one of those 'highly motivated' patients and would do HIPEC if my cancer spread in this broadly-seeded fashion.

    Germany
    This is very good news. Germany has been using this procedure for years, with very positive results. It's good to know our country is finally getting on board.
  • MaxRudy
    MaxRudy Member Posts: 56
    #6
    lindaprocopio said:

    Yes, it's HIPEC you're talking about, I think.
    One of the ladies on the uterine cancer discussion board at this same website had HIPEC done when her grade 3 uterine cancer seeded throughout the peritoneal area. She achieved a pretty nice remission by combining a 'second look' debulking/scraping of all visible cancer. and then the heated chemo poured in (HIPEC). It is a serious treatment and required a multi-day hospitalization to manage the accompanying pain. She had to be in good physical condition for them to do it, strong going in. But she would do it again and recommends those with a broadly-seeded type of metastasis consider it. The slang term is 'shake and bake', as they gently rock your body when the heated chemo is poured into the incision to slosh it all over the area and let it into any crevices, etc. to kill the microscopic cancer cells. Her oncologist is a big believer in it, but the hospital where I go HIPEC is done in Interventional Radiology where 'overly aggressive' (my chemo oncologist's words) treatments are available for difficult cases and 'highly motivated' patients (again, my chemo oncologist's words). I'm one of those 'highly motivated' patients and would do HIPEC if my cancer spread in this broadly-seeded fashion.

    HIPEC
    I was diagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatosis Dec 2010. While doing a routine colonoscopy, the doctor felt a blockage....had a CT scan and my abdomen was full of tumors "probably originating from ovaries." I researched the internet and found HIPEC, and it sounded the most hopeful for prolonging my life. Step 2 was finding a doctor and a hospital who does HIPEC. I did and had the surgery Jan 20. I had a lot of stuff removed, scrapped, resected and was in the hospital 13 days. I had talked to a couple of people who had the surgery and they all said it was an excruciating surgery and "not for the faint of heart." I can honestly say, my pain was minimal. Post surgery I was tired, nauseated etc but not in pain. It does take 2.5 to 3 months to recover from this surgery...at least it did for me and for the others that I talked to. In fact my local onc wanted to start chemo at the 2.5 month point and I did not feel physically ready for the chemo assault. However my CT scan at that time showed something on the lung that she wanted seen by a pulmonologist...it was nothing but delayed the chemo 2 more weeks, at which time I felt a great deal stronger. I've had my 2nd dose of the carbo/taxol 6 dose regimen and we'll see how things go. I don't believe the HIPEC is for everyone but given my dx (spread to the peritoneal caavity) it made the most sense to me.
  • Tethys41
    Tethys41 Member Posts: 1,382 Member
    #7
    MaxRudy said:

    HIPEC
    I was diagnosed with peritoneal carcinomatosis Dec 2010. While doing a routine colonoscopy, the doctor felt a blockage....had a CT scan and my abdomen was full of tumors "probably originating from ovaries." I researched the internet and found HIPEC, and it sounded the most hopeful for prolonging my life. Step 2 was finding a doctor and a hospital who does HIPEC. I did and had the surgery Jan 20. I had a lot of stuff removed, scrapped, resected and was in the hospital 13 days. I had talked to a couple of people who had the surgery and they all said it was an excruciating surgery and "not for the faint of heart." I can honestly say, my pain was minimal. Post surgery I was tired, nauseated etc but not in pain. It does take 2.5 to 3 months to recover from this surgery...at least it did for me and for the others that I talked to. In fact my local onc wanted to start chemo at the 2.5 month point and I did not feel physically ready for the chemo assault. However my CT scan at that time showed something on the lung that she wanted seen by a pulmonologist...it was nothing but delayed the chemo 2 more weeks, at which time I felt a great deal stronger. I've had my 2nd dose of the carbo/taxol 6 dose regimen and we'll see how things go. I don't believe the HIPEC is for everyone but given my dx (spread to the peritoneal caavity) it made the most sense to me.

    Surgery
    Does the surgery for th HIPEC differ from the reagular debulking surgery most ovarian cancer patients go through? If so, how is it different?
    Thanks.
  • MaxRudy
    MaxRudy Member Posts: 56
    #8
    Tethys41 said:

    Surgery
    Does the surgery for th HIPEC differ from the reagular debulking surgery most ovarian cancer patients go through? If so, how is it different?
    Thanks.

    HIPEC
    Yes, the HIPEC means that the heated chemo is added. Like you indicated, most women do the regular debulking surgery then do conventional chemo some time after the surgery. If you go the HIPEC route, the surgeon does the debulking, puts heated chemo (I think my surgeon used mitomycin) in the abdominal cavity, sews you back up and sloshes it around in your abdominal cavity for 90 minutes. If I recall correctly, the surgeon said the chemo is 400 times stronger (seems like a lot but i believe that is what he said)than conventionally administered chemo. My CT scan, 2.5 months after surgery was clear but my onc and my surgeon thought 6 rounds of carbo/taxol, administered the conventional way thru the IV or medport, was recommended. I am doing that now. A couple of people I talked to who had HIPEC (for colon cancer)indicated that their surgeons told them additional, conventional chemo was not needed...even tho they were at advanced stages.

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