Hot Chemo

ppurdin
ppurdin Member Posts: 1,181 Member
in Ovarian Cancer #1

please if anyone has been through the hot Chemo.Please any thoughts or suggestion s.Thank you

Comments

  • debrajo
    debrajo Member Posts: 1,095 Member
    #2
    Sorry!

    This board has been a little quite lately!  I don't know what "hot" chemo is, but if you will post on the Uterine board you will probably find someone who knows.  We have several nurses' a thread about Ladies Going through Chemo, and we have a lot of of really knowlegable people who check in.  We "jump" boards all the time, so come over and post your questions!  I know you are afraid and stressing...we all did.  I will take a little getting over the fear and the waiting, but chemo is very doable for the vast majority of us.  I am Debrajo, diagnosed 2009, six rounds of Taxol/Carbo, and five internal radiation.  I have been NED for over five years.  Best, Debrajo

  • LorettaMarshall
    LorettaMarshall Member Posts: 662 Member
    #3
    Pat-Info 4U - Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal chemotherpy (HIPEC)

    Dear Pat,

    Am sending you a link that tells all about the “hot chemo” treatment.  It is called HIPEC and stands for “Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion”.

    I am sending you the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) link for this treatment.  This is where I had my Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) in July of 2013.  There I had my ovaries, fallopian tubes, spleen, gallbladder, omentum and portions of my intestinal wall removed.  I was told when I went into surgery that this treatment might be used as well, but when I awoke, for reasons not really understood, but accepted, Dr. Bartlett did not give me this HIPEC treatment.  (Yes, I was disappointed, but I’m still alive.)    I stayed at Family House Shadyside (one of 4 homes for out-of-town patients) for a long period of recuperation before coming home.  There I met so many patients with various cancers.  And I’ve never come home from there without meeting others whose cancers I would not want to be coping with.  So I was content to have my own and trust the Lord for all the days that follow.

    Among them was a young man of 23 (with a wife and 3 children) who had his appendix to burst and from that he was diagnosed with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.  He was also Dr. Bartlett’s patient.  He had the HIPEC treatment.  I don’t know how he fared because when I left to come home, the young man was still there.  However, not all hospitals offer this treatment.  But UPMC is on the “cutting edge” of medical procedures and I highly recommend them.  Back in May of 2003, my husband also had his Ivor Lewis Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy performed there by Dr. James D. Luketich.  That is why I went there for my SECOND opinion. 

    Please review the link listed below.  You can view an informational video (6 ½ min.) that is indicated on that page.  If you need to download “Real Player” to view that video, it is “safe” and “free”.  In any event, this procedure is performed on patients with different types of cancer,\.  Among them are patients with OVARIAN and/or PERITONEAL CARCINOMATOSIS.

    This link can be a “springboard” for you to do further research on the subject but I only trust sites that I am familiar with that are nationally known.  Hope this helps.

    Love Loretta

    Peritoneal Carcinomatosis/Ovarian Cancer Stage IV

     

     

    P.S.  You will be interested in this web link from the American Cancer Society about the different ways that Ovarian Cancer is treated.  In addition to heated chemo often administered during surgery, there is another kind of chemo that can be given in the doctor’s office.  But I have read that at least half of the women do not complete this because of complications.  So one would have to weigh the possible benefits vs. undesirable side effects, since this is still not “curative.” 

     

    “Chemotherapy for ovarian cancer

     

     Chemotherapy (chemo) is the use of drugs to treat cancer. Most often, chemo is a systemic treatment − the drugs are given in a way that lets them enter the bloodstream and reach all areas of the body. Systemic chemo can be useful for cancers that have metastasized (spread). Most of the time, systemic chemo uses drugs that are injected into a vein (IV) or given by mouth. For some cases of ovarian cancer, chemotherapy may also be injected through a catheter (thin tube) directly into the abdominal cavity. This is called intraperitoneal (IP) chemotherapy. Drugs given this way are also absorbed into the bloodstream, so IP chemotherapy is also a type of systemic chemo. This is discussed in more detail later in this section…”

     

    “Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion (HIPEC) Treatment

    Many tumors too advanced for surgical removal remain confined to a single organ or region of the body. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC) is a surgical technique that we use to treat these types of tumors.

    What Can I Expect During Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemoperfusion?

    In HIPEC, our surgeons may first debulk, or partially remove, the tumor prior to treating.

    Afterwards, the surgeon makes two small incisions and inserts tubes:

      • One to pump the heated chemotherapy solution into your body.

      • One to circulate the fluid back to the heating equipment.

    • Once the treatment begins, the temperature in the chest cavity rises to between 105 and 107.6 F (40.6 and 42 C).

    • The chemotherapy solution circulates for several hours to kill the cancer cells.

    • The pump is turned off to allow the treated region to cool to normal temperature.

    • Then the surgeon removes the tubes and temperature probes, closes the incisions, and sends you to recovery.”

    Additional Resources: For Patients:

    Watch an informative video about the hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC) program.

    The free RealPlayer® plugin is required to view this video.

     

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