Battling Cancer

New options mean new hope for cancer patients.

While some of the treatment options listed today have been used in cancer regimes for years, others mentioned are new. What they have in common is that they may fall into the category of “what exactly is that all about?”

Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy and Hyperthermic Intraoperative Peritoneal Chemotherapy or Hyperthermic Interperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC): Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is given directly into the abdominal cavity. Intra = into. Peritoneal = abdominal cavity. Hyperthermic = heated above the temperature of the human body.

Intraoperative chemotherapy is chemo that is given at the time of surgery. Patients undergoing surgery to remove or debulk tumors are given chemo directly into the abdominal cavity to kill cancer cells that may have been released from the tumor during surgery. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy then may be given again after surgery utilizing a port directly into the abdomen. This type of surgery may have fewer side effects than regular chemo given using the bloodstream as a transport. Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is reported to be advantageous as the chemo drugs are more effective given this route and have a longer half life.

Resources: Greenbaum Cancer Center

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IOERT):In this treatment modality radiation is given directly to the tumor during surgery. The Mayo Clinic has the largest treatment program in the world for this type of therapy. ” The FDA-approved mobile Intraoperative Electron Radiation (IOERT) machine, called the “Mobetron,” can be brought directly to the patient’s operating room at Mayo Clinic Hospital where a team delivers a concentrated beam of electron radiation directly to cancerous tumors while they are exposed during surgery. ” This type of therapy has proven to increase survival rates in many types of cancers.

Resources: The Mayo Clinic

Robotic Surgery: Robot assisted surgical procedures are being used for many types of cancer surgeries including prostate and gynecological cancers. The University of Pennsylvania Health System sites the following reasons for utilizing robotics for gynecological surgeries:

• Smaller incisions/less scarring
• Significantly less pain
• Less blood loss
• Shorter recovery time
• Faster return to normal daily activities

Resources: da Vinci Prostatectomy

CyberKnife : a frameless robotic radiosurgery system invented by John R. Adler, a Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology at Stanford University. This system allows precision delivery of radiation without invasive surgery and minimizes trauma to surrounding tissue and organs. Many times the procedures are done on an outpatient basis. Per the Florida CyberKnife Centers: “The CyberKnife System received clearance from the FDA in July 1999 for the treatment of head and neck tumors. In October 2001, the FDA extended its clearance to include the treatment of tumors and other conditions anywhere in the body.”

Resources: Stanford Cancer Center