HIPEC at Ohio State

The OSUCCC – James peritoneal cancer specialists and subspecialists are nationally and internationally renowned in research and patient care for their one particular cancer. In fact, our physician experts actually help write the national clinical guidelines for treating specific cancers. Because of that expertise and understanding of cancer’s complexities and how it acts and reacts differently in each person, the very best outcomes — and the most effective means of treating cancer patients — come from a team approach.

At the OSUCCC – James, the peritoneal cancer treatment team includes internationally recognized gynecologic and gastrointestinal medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, radiation oncologists, geneticists, nutritionists and more. Also on that team are peritoneal cancer researchers who help sequence tumors to identify key molecules that fuel each patient’s cancer and who then develop drugs that target only those particular molecules. Working together and across medical disciplines, this super subspecialized team develops individualized, highly targeted treatment plans that specifically target the molecular and biological makeup of your individual cancer.

As one of only a few cancer centers in the country funded by the National Cancer Institute to conduct both phase I and phase II clinical trials, the OSUCCC – James offers patients access to more clinical trials than nearly any other cancer hospital in the region and more of the most targeted, most effective treatment options, many of which are available only at the OSUCCC – James.

Peritoneal Cancer Treatment

As a National Cancer Institute (NCI)–designated comprehensive cancer center, the OSUCCC — James offers patients access to novel therapies that may not be available anywhere else in the United States. The James also leads some of the world’s most advanced, sophisticated clinical trials for peritoneal cancer.

Every person’s disease is different, with individually unique genes and molecules driving that disorder. At the OSUCCC – James, our peritoneal cancer subspecialists are world-renowned experts who focus solely on gynecologic and gastrointestinal disorders and who reach across medical disciplines to design the very best treatment plan and therapies to target each patient’s specific cancer.

One or more of the following treatments may be recommended.

Patients may also benefit from new therapies available in clinical trials.

Surgery

Not all peritoneal cancer patients may require surgery. Your OSUCCC – James experts will recommend surgery only if it is beneficial.

Only a few hospitals in the country perform as many peritoneal surgeries as the OSUCCC — James specialists perform each year, lending to its nationally and internationally renowned expertise.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is used in selective cases of peritoneal cancers.

Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays or other types of radiation targeted directly at the cancer cells to destroy those cells or keep them from growing.

The radiation is aimed at the cancer from outside the body or delivered to the cancer inside the body through tiny seeds that are usually directed to the organ using catheters, or thin tubes.

A patient with peritoneal cancer may receive radiation therapy before or after a surgery to remove tissue or a tumor. Radiation can shrink a tumor to make surgery more successful, and it is delivered only to the tumor in order to prevent damage to surrounding, healthy tissue.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy drugs stop cancer cell growth by either destroying the cells or stopping them from dividing and making new cells.

Chemotherapy drugs can be taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, and they may be given over a period of months.

When the drugs enter the bloodstream, they can reach cancer cells throughout the body (called systemic chemotherapy). Combination chemotherapy uses more than one anti-cancer drug.

A low-dose chemotherapy is often given while a patient is also undergoing external radiation therapy.

HIPEC Therapy

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) treatment where a concentrated amount of chemotherapy is delivered to the abdomen during surgery. The OSUCCC – James is one of the select centers in the country to perform this procedure.

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