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Thermal Ablation for the Treatment of Abdominal Tumors
Published on: March 7, 2011
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for treating ovarian cancer
Shilpa Gajarawala1, Jessica Pelkowski, Rose Dorian
1Shilpa Gajarawala is lead PA in the Department of Medical and Surgical Gynecology and an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Mayo Clinic Florida College of Medicine and Science in Jacksonville, Fla. She also is an adjunct faculty member in the doctor of medical science program at Rocky Mountain University of Health Science in Provo, Utah. Jessica Pelkowski practices in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic Florida. Rose Dorian practices in the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Immunotherapy at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. Amanda Stanton practices in the Department of Medical and Surgical Gynecology and is an instructor in obstetrics and gynecology at the Mayo Clinic Florida. Tri Dinh is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Mayo Clinic Florida. The authors have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Abstract:
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been used for decades as a treatment for disseminated abdominal malignancies, including pseudomyxoma peritonei and peritoneal mesothelioma. HIPEC had been used to treat recurrent ovarian cancer only when curative options were lacking, but new data indicate that it may be suitable as a primary treatment for patients with late-stage epithelial ovarian cancer, increasing the recurrence-free time interval and improving quality of life. However, treatment can be challenging because of patient trauma from surgery, combined with the toxicity and high temperature of the chemotherapeutic agents. This article reviews HIPEC and its targeted intraoperative and postoperative management.

