Latest treatment for advanced abdominal cancers now offered at Rhode Island Hospital
(posted December 11, 2008)
Rhode Island Hospital is the first hospital in the state and one of approximately 30 facilities nationwide to offer an innovative abdominal cancer treatment called intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemoperfusion, or HIPEC. The treatment offers new hope for increased survival with a better quality of life in patients with advanced stage cancer of the abdomen.
The new HIPEC treatment combined with surgical removal of the tumor is an innovative treatment for advanced stage patients with abdominal cancers such as ovarian and gastrointestinal. HIPEC is performed by surgical oncologist Thomas Miner, MD, at Rhode Island Hospital. It involves a combination of heat and chemotherapy administered during surgery. “After surgically removing the tumor mass, chemotherapy is heated and circulated throughout the abdominal cavity using a perfusion machine,” explains Miner. “This allows a higher than normal dose of chemotherapy to be applied directly to the region of the tumor, providing a more intense treatment and giving a better outcome.”
Miner says, “Typically this can be a very difficult time for patients with advanced cancer, with a very poor quality of life. What we are offering these individuals is not only increased survival but perhaps more importantly, a better quality of life.”
Miner joined Rhode Island Hospital five years ago after practicing at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital and is a specialist in the surgical treatment of cancer. He has performed the HIPEC procedure on several patients. He notes that not all patients are candidates for the procedure, as they must first be capable of undergoing staging and diagnostic studies and a lengthy surgical procedure to remove the tumor from all surfaces inside the abdomen. Miner adds that those patients who have been able to go through the lengthy surgery are now feeling the benefits of the surgery.
One patient is Peter MacIsaac, 49, of Cranston, RI, who was diagnosed in 2008 with a rare form of cancer known as peritoneal mesothelioma after many months of experiencing a variety of undiagnosed symptoms. It is believed that he came into contact with asbestos many years before while working in construction. MacIsaac was nearly completely incapacitated by his condition. In fact, he was given a prognosis of only a month or two. “I had pain every single day and no normal function,” recalls MacIsaac.
After a great deal of research, MacIsaac found hope in the HIPEC procedure and was prepared to travel to Washington, DC for the surgery. A chance meeting with another physician at Rhode Island Hospital, however, led him to Dr. Miner. He recalls, “I had 100 questions for him and he answered all of them with confidence, and that’s exactly what I was looking for.”
Miner performed MacIsaac’s surgery on April 24, 2008 at Rhode Island Hospital. Now, nearly eight months out from the procedure, MacIsaac says he feels like he has his life back. He recently returned from a trip to Bermuda with his wife, Salley. MacIsaac, who has just completed six months of traditional chemotherapy as an extra precaution, says, “Without this treatment I don’t think I’d be here. Cancer is a debilitating disease, but I have a positive attitude and will continue to move forward.”
Miner states, “Mr. MacIsaac is an example of the incredible ability of this procedure to change the lives of those facing otherwise dismal outcomes. We are thrilled that we are able to use technology to give our patients more hope and more time with their loved ones.”
For more information on HIPEC, call 421-2045.