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New Therapy for Gynecologic Cancer – A Closer Look
Men and women who have gynecologic cancer have great new hope in a original technology now made available at the Seidman Cancer Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. A team of cancer specialists, led by Robert DeBernardo, MD, is among the first in the nation to launch a dedicated program using Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat ovarian, endometrial and select other cancers.
Completed immediately following surgical procedure, HIPEC delivers heated chemotherapy through a ‘hot bath’ into the abdominal cavity, where it can penetrate diseased tissue directly. Shortly after the surgeon removes all of the visible cancer as viable, a heated, a sterilized chemotherapy solution is distributed all through the abdominal area by using a technically advanced perfusion technique to eradicate the leftover cancer cells.
“This is a new and potentially revolutionary way of treating women with gynecologic cancers, which tend to be quite responsive to chemotherapy,” says Dr. DeBernardo, gynecologic oncologist at UH Case Medical Center and Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “Our preliminary data and experience has been overwhelmingly positive and the therapy has been well-tolerated and effective. HIPEC promises to extend lives in a meaningful way.”
HIPEC has been used for years for public health care in patients with colon, pseudomyxomas, malignant mesothelioma and appendiceal cancer, types of cancer of which in general are usually not receptive to chemotherapy, however it is currently considered as a promising fresh treatment for gynecologic malignancy.