HIPEC Questions

Dmc20
Dmc20 Member Posts: 8 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

Hi, I’m looking for more information on HIPEC surgery. My mother was diagnosed in 2020 with appendix cancer we found out because her appendix had ruptured. The mucin from the appendix got to her colon. So now they are calling it colorectal/small bowel cancer. She was cancer free after they removed her appendix in 2020 but now since the doctors can’t see the small cells there’s fluid, that’s been lingering around the appendix: area is cancerous. In 2020 they did do a preventative chemo. Now she is on a different chemo that is just basically controlling her cancer. We met with a surgeon and he recommended we do HIPEC. She is stage IV. My question is is there anything that I can get her after this surgery to help with anything? I know it’s a tough one and I wanna be as helpful as I can. Does anyone know the success rate? I know the surgeon said he’s there to extend her life. Thank you everyone God bless.

Comments

  • sgold88
    sgold88 Member Posts: 83 Member
    #2

    Hi there, my wife was stage IV and underwent HIPEC in March 2022. The surgery’s success rate depends on the PCI score (0-39), which is basically a scale of how much cancer they see in her abdomen when they open her up. The lower the score, the lower the amount of cancer there is to remove and hence the higher the success rate. They say you shouldn’t Google anything but this you can Google for a good explanation. In any event, the surgery is a tough one and the recovery takes time, but it’s known as revolutionary and since becoming mainstream in the last 20 years, it’s considered one of the biggest advances in abdominal cancer treatment over that time. The surgeon wouldn’t do the surgery if they didn’t think the patient could handle the recovery. It’s actually a hard surgery to be eligible for given factors like disease burden and ability to withstand the procedure and ultimately the recover. Lots of painkillers is what got my wife through it but she’s here and healthy now.

  • Dmc20
    Dmc20 Member Posts: 8 Member
    #3
    https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1709149#Comment_1709149

    Hi Sgold88, I’m so very happy to hear your wife is healthy!! What a blessing! Yes it’s been such an overwhelming experience, that yes of course I google absolutely everything even when they say don’t. Short backstory, my mother was diagnosed with appendix cancer her appendix had leaked and fast-forward now she has small bowel cancer. Yesterday she had her first colonoscopy, which is so upsetting because she tells us to go to doctors and she never did. So basically they found were ulcers in her colon and by me googling that just made it worse for me. But she is still in the running to get HIPEC.

Discussion Boards