HIPEC, also called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, is one of the most advanced cancer treatments. The HIPEC involves treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs heated to a certain temperature.
Why Is HIPEC Used In The Best Hospitals In The World?
The world has given up the old paradigm of palliative therapy with chemotherapy or limited surgery aimed at relieving symptoms to a new era of radical surgery in combination with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).
This approach is the result of long and extensive research showing that some chemotherapy drugs can reach their maximum efficacy in fighting tumors when heated and injected directly into the abdominal cavity.
A key factor in the effectiveness of HIPEC is hyperthermia. When heated, the chemotherapy drugs penetrate tumors better and allow destroying the maximum amount of cancer cells.
High temperature not only enhances chemotherapy drugs' action, but also independently damages tumor cells, i.e., destroys their membranes, disrupts the tumor's DNA structure, and induces the death of cancer cells.
Chemotherapy drugs do not work systemically in HIPEC. They do not enter the systemic circulation, so the risk of side effects is much lower. Due to this, higher doses of medication can be used, which destroy tumor cells more effectively.
Pathologies That Are Treated With HIPEC
HIPEC is mainly used to treat peritoneal carcinosis. However, there are several other diagnoses in which the use of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is relevant. They include:
- Ovarian cancer
- Certain types of stomach cancer
- Tumors of the small intestine
- Primary cancer of the peritoneum
At the same time, it is important to understand that even with peritoneal carcinomatosis, HIPEC treatment is not universal. In all of the above cases, the peculiarities of the course of the oncological disease are considered.
Where is HIPEC Performed?
Here is the list of the Top-rated hospitals for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC):
- HELIOS Clinic Krefeld
- University Hospital Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
- Charite University Hospital Berlin
- University Hospital Ulm
- Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
- University Hospital Marburg UKGM
- University Hospital RWTH Aachen
- University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden
Best Hospital For HIPEC
HELIOS Clinic Krefeld is one of the best hospitals in the world in treating medical conditions related to gastroenterology, hepatology, oncology, and cardiology.
The treatment process here has full compliance with international treatment protocols. The hospital also contributes to the medical research, which ensures using innovative interventions in treatment programs.
The treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis with cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC includes the initial examination, full range of diagnostic procedures, preoperative care, cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC, histological examination of removed tissues, and necessary symptomatic treatment.
You may find out more information on the hospitals and choose the best hospital for HIPEC that meets your requirements on the Booking Health website.
How Is HIPEC Performed?
The process of performing the HIPEC procedure consists of several stages:
- The anesthesiologist calculates the dose of anesthetics in advance and monitors the patient's condition throughout the procedure.
- The surgeon performs an incision followed by the removal of all visible tumor cells in the peritoneal region (cytoreductive surgery).
- The next step is the HIPEC itself. Using special equipment and temperature sensors, a doctor injects heated chemotherapy drugs into the peritoneum.
- After removing the solution, a surgeon sutures the tissues that were damaged during the surgical intervention.
After the procedure, the patient stays in the intensive care unit, he is monitored by a team of qualified doctors.
Undergoing HIPEC During A Lockdown
If you want to undergo HIPEC in the best hospital possible, you might consider an option of medical tourism. As with any tourism, organizing a trip yourself is possible, but right now you can face obstacles due to the lockdown.
You can contact the medical tourism company Booking Health that will help you to arrange your treatment in the best hospitals in the world. Services of Booking Health allow you to experience medical tourism at its best even during the lockdown.
To find out more about undergoing treatment with HIPEC, you may visit the Booking Health website and leave a request so that a medical advisor can contact you and answer all questions.
