Researchers have known for some time that cancer cells respond differently to heat than normal tissue cells. Heat delivered at a certain temperature kills tumor cells without harming normal tissue, and heat greatly increases cancer cells' absorption of chemotherapy agents. Thermal ablation exploits this difference by inserting probes into tumors and heating them to destroy tumor tissue without harming normal cells.

Another approach to heat treatment was developed in the 1980s by Paul Sugarbaker, M.D. at the Washington Cancer Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Sugarbaker pioneered a method of heating the body cavity and applying highly concentrated chemotherapy agents directly to cancer tissue. Called Cyto-reductive Surgery with Heated Intraperitoneal Therapy (HIPC) and also referred to as the Sugarbaker Procedure, the novel therapy is designed to treat patients with pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) or cancer from another site that has spread throughout the organ-filled peritoneal cavity, but not into the liver or sites outside the peritoneal cavity.

The Cyto-Reductive Surgery is a two-part treatment that begins with a surgical procedure to remove as much tumorous tissue as possible. Directly following the surgery, a special fluid is heated and circulated through the peritoneal cavity to increase cell temperatures to improve chemotherapy absorption. Cooling blankets keep the rest of the patient's body cool and the patient is monitored constantly to ensure overall body temperature never exceeds 102.2°F. When the circulating solution reaches 107.7°F, a concentrated chemotherapy agent is added and circulated through the cavity for 90 minutes. The solution is then drained and the cavity is thoroughly washed with saline solution, which is then drained away.

The Cyto-Reductive Surgery is currently available at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento for patients who meet required criteria.

For more information, email capsurg@sutterhealth.org or call (916) 454-6913.