Cancer treatment with hyperthermic peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in Germany

Cytoreductive surgery is a type of surgery that removes as much cancerous tissue as possible. It is often done when cancer has grown into tumors or masses in the abdomen. After cytoreductive surgery, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) treatment involves giving high chemo doses directly to the peritoneal cavity. The name "hyperthermic" means that the chemotherapy is heated to a high temperature to make it work better at killing cancer cells.

During the procedure, the patient is put to sleep, and a small cut is made in the abdomen. The surgeon takes out as much of the cancerous tissue as possible. The chemo drugs are heated to the right temperature and given directly to the peritoneal cavity. The chemotherapy is moved to the peritoneal cavity (usually around 90 minutes) for a certain amount of time. After that, the chemotherapy is drained out of the peritoneal cavity, and the cut is closed.

Cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC removes a lot of cancerous tissue, which may not be possible with other types of treatment. High doses of chemo given directly to the tumor can kill cancer cells better than chemotherapy is shown all over the body. Patients also may live longer with better quality of life.