Jipmer has performed its first cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) procedure in the Department of Surgical Oncology.
The surgery was performed recently on a 60-year-old woman, who was treated for a type of peritoneal surface malignancy called pseudomyxoma peritonei, one of the more aggressive cancers, a press note said.
Peritoneal surface malignancies refer to those cancers arising either primarily from the peritoneum, a thin and clear layer lining the inner surface of abdominal wall and viscera (referred to as primary peritoneal malignancy), or has spread to it from a different primary site (secondary peritoneal malignancy).
The 10-hour procedure, performed by a team led by Dr. Prasanth Penumadu, resulted in complete excision of the tumour that would have otherwise been intractable and gave a new lease of life to the patient. The surgery was aided by guest faculty Dr. Saket Mehta from Mumbai’s Saifee Hospital, a pioneer in the procedure. The anaesthesia team was led by Dr. Srinivasan Swaminathan. The patient has recovered and will be discharged after three weeks of recuperation.
Free surgery
The procedure, which normally costs between ₹2 lakh and ₹3 lakh, was performed free, thanks to Institute Director S.C. Parija, J. Balachander, and Medical Superintendent and Dean R.P. Swaminathan.
Until recently, treatment options were limited to offering patients relief from symptoms. Little progress was made in offering a cure. Advances in medical science have enabled cancer specialists to offer a ray of hope to those suffering from the disease by using a two-step approach to treatment.
The first and the most crucial — cytoreductive surgery — is the surgical eradication of all visible tumour in the abdomen; the second - Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) — involves exposing the abdominal viscera to heated and sterile chemotherapy drugs immediately after surgery. The surgery is considered technically demanding and is associated with high morbidity rates, thus necessitating proper selection of both patients and specialised centres.
