hipec - Valley Blumenthal Cancer Center

A PATIENT’S GUIDE TO
HIPEC
HYPERTHERMIC INTRAPERITONEAL
CHEMOTHERAPY
The HIPEC Program at The Valley Hospital’s Daniel
and Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center is New Jersey’s
only comprehensive program and the largest among
hospitals in the metropolitan New York/New Jersey area.
Our Director of Surgical Oncology, Lawrence E. Harrison,
M.D., heads our HIPEC Program and has more experience
in performing HIPEC than any other physician in the area.
Over the past 11 years, he has used HIPEC to treat more than
100 select patients with advanced abdominal and gynecologic
malignancies.
WHAT TYPE OF FOLLOW-UP CARE
WILL I REQUIRE?
Generally, you will see Dr. Harrison one week after surgery
and again about two weeks later. Additional follow-up
appointments will be scheduled every three to four months.
Some patients may benefit from post-operative systemic
chemotherapy, depending on the tumor type and if any tissue
remains after surgery.
Dr. Harrison’s office is located in the Daniel and Gloria
Blumenthal Cancer Center at the Luckow Pavilion in
Paramus. To make an appointment or for more information,
call 201-634-5547 or visit www.valleyhealth.com/HIPEC.
Information on hotels and shuttle services is available on
our web site at www.ValleyHealth.com/HIPEC. You may
also call Reception Services at 201-447-8000, ext. 2250,
at the times that follow for this information: Monday
through Friday, 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturdays from 6 a.m.
to 8:30 p.m.; and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
A PATIENT’S GUIDE TO
HIPEC
HYPERTHERMIC INTRAPERITONEAL
CHEMOTHERAPY
Lawrence E. Harrison, M.D.,
is Director of Surgical Oncology at
The Valley Hospital’s Daniel and
Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center.
His practice focuses on the treatment
of cancers that have spread
to the abdomen (carcinomatosis),
such as colon, appendix, and
ovarian tumors. He also specializes
in the treatment of patients
with gastro-intestinal cancers,
with a concentration on patients with hepato-biliary,
pancreatic, and gastro-esophageal malignancies.
Dr. Harrison received his medical degree from Temple
University School of Medicine. He completed a surgical
residency at University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
He subsequently spent four years at Memorial Sloan-
Kettering Cancer Center, where he completed a research
fellowship and a surgical oncology fellowship. Prior to
joining Valley, Dr. Harrison was Chief of Surgical Oncology
at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School for 13 years. He has
been performing HIPEC for more than 11 years.
The Daniel & Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center
The Robert & Audrey Luckow Pavilion
One Valley Health Plaza
(off Winters Avenue)
Paramus, NJ 07652
www.valleyhealth.com/HIPEC
3/11

Your doctor has recommended that you see
Dr. Harrison for an evaluation for HIPEC,
an advanced treatment option that combines
surgery with chemotherapy that is placed directly into the
abdomen. This brochure will help you to understand HIPEC
and explain what you can expect when you come to us for
an evaluation and treatment.
WHAT IS HIPEC?
HIPEC stands for Hyperthermic IntraPEritoneal
Chemotherapy, an established treatment that offers hope
for patients with certain types of cancer that either originate in
or metastasize (spread) to the abdomen. HIPEC is performed at
the time of tumor-removal surgery, also called cytoreduction or
“debulking” surgery. After Dr. Harrison removes the cancerous
tumor(s), he bathes the abdominal cavity with a high dose of
heated chemotherapy that kills any remaining cancerous cells.
When combined with surgery, HIPEC has been clinically
shown to improve the quality of life and extend the survival
of patients with:
■ colorectal cancer
■ appendiceal cancer
■ ovarian cancer
■ pseudomyxoma peritonei
■ peritoneal mesothelioma
HOW IS HIPEC DIFFERENT
FROM INTRAVENOUS OR
ORAL CHEMOTHERAPY?
Systemic chemotherapy given intravenously or by mouth
cannot always reach or adequately affect cancer cells. With
HIPEC, the abdomen is bathed directly with chemotherapy,
which attacks any remaining cancer cells. HIPEC does not produce
any of the common side effects of systemic chemotherapy
– nausea, fatigue, or hair loss – because it does not circulate
throughout your bloodstream and attack healthy cells.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE
BENEFITS OF HIPEC?
■ HIPEC can access hard-to-reach areas, where microscopic
cancer cells can hide.
■ HIPEC goes only to the areas it needs to treat.
■ The heat used during HIPEC enhances the penetration
of chemotherapy into tissues and increases its ability to
kill cancer cells.
■ Tumor cells are eliminated before they have a chance to get
into scar tissue that results after the surgical wound heals.
■ HIPEC is safe and has few potential risks.
WHO IS A GOOD CANDIDATE
FOR HIPEC?
Patients are carefully selected by Dr. Harrison based on the
type and location of the tumor and whether there is a high
likelihood that the surgery and HIPEC treatment will result in a
positive outcome for the patient. Because the surgery may take
many hours and requires general anesthesia, the patient must
be physically able to withstand a lengthy operation.
WHAT SHOULD I BRING FOR MY
EVALUATION WITH DR. HARRISON?
You should bring the most recent originals or copies of the
following to your first visit:
■ X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans (either films or a CD,
as well as reports),
■ original pathology slides,
■ endoscopy reports,
■ laboratory results,
■ current insurance card,
■ endoscopy reports,
■ any referral forms required by your health insurance carrier.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING HIPEC?
On the day of surgery, you will be given general anesthesia.
Dr. Harrison will first remove as much of the tumor, lymph
nodes, and any other cancerous tissue as possible. Immediately
after the surgery, while you are still under anesthesia, he will
bathe the inside of your abdomen for about 90 minutes with
a high dose of chemotherapy that has been warmed to about
107º F. HIPEC destroys any microscopic cancer cells that
might remain in your abdomen and cause a recurrence of
the cancer.
Dr. Harrison will then drain away the chemotherapy liquid
and close the surgical incision. You will wake up in the postanesthesia
care unit, where you will stay for between 12 and 36
hours. There may be a tube in your nose for drainage and/or
tubing from your bladder and other areas to either remove
fluid or provide nutrition. You will be given patient-controlled
analgesia (PCA), as needed, to manage pain.
WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO GO HOME?
After leaving the post-anesthesia care unit, you will be taken to
a room on the surgical unit, where you will stay for about five to
10 days, depending on the extent of your surgery. You will be
able to go home once you are able to eat, walk, and move your
bowels (some patients have a colostomy). Within four to six
weeks, you may be able to resume your normal activities.
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