Dr. Mark Bloomston
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Board Certified
Board certification by an ABMS Member Board is the premier, independently assessed credential attainable in medicine today.
Dr. Mark Bloomston is affiliated with the South Florida Surgical Oncology.
Fellowship Experience
Ohio State University Hospital
Additional Information
Dr. Bloomston recently served as Associate Professor, Surgical Oncology Fellowship director, and director of the GI Cancer Service Line at Ohio State University. He has authored over 180 articles and served on the NCI Neuroendocrine task force and the NCCN Hepatobiliary guidelines committee. His interests are in complex GI cancers and advanced surgical procedures, such as complex pancreas surgery, major liver surgery, biliary reconstruction, hepatic artery infusion pumps, and HIPEC. He is ranked in the top 10 percentile for patient satisfaction and is considered one of the nation’s top doctors by US News and World Report.
What is HIPEC?
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is a highly concentrated, heated chemotherapy treatment that is delivered directly to the abdomen during surgery.
Unlike systemic chemotherapy delivery, which circulates throughout the body, HIPEC delivers chemotherapy directly to cancer cells in the abdomen. This allows for higher doses of chemotherapy treatment. Heating the solution may also improve the absorption of chemotherapy drugs by tumors and destroy microscopic cancer cells that remain in the abdomen after surgery.
How it works
Before patients receive HIPEC treatment, doctors perform cytoreductive surgery to remove visible tumors within the abdomen. Cytoreductive surgery is accomplished using various surgical techniques. Once as many tumors as possible have been removed, the heated, sterilized chemotherapy solution is delivered to the abdomen to penetrate and destroy remaining cancer cells. The solution is 41 to 42 degrees Celsius, about the temperature of a warm bath. It’s circulated throughout the abdomen for approximately 1 ½ hours. The solution is then drained from the abdomen and the incision is closed.
HIPEC is a treatment option for people who have advanced surface spread of cancer within the abdomen, without disease involvement outside of the abdomen.
Advantages of HIPEC
⦁ Allows for high doses of chemotherapy
⦁ Enhances and concentrates chemotherapy within the abdomen
⦁ Minimizes the rest of the body’s exposure to the chemotherapy
⦁ Improves chemotherapy absorption and susceptibility of cancer cells
⦁ Reduces some chemotherapy side effects