Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a peritoneal carcinomatosis treatment that controls advanced abdominal tumors.
It reduces the size of tumors, eliminates ascites, and, if there is an excellent response to therapy, can make the cancer resectable (eligible for surgical treatment).
More and more cancer centers in developed countries offer this procedure to their patients. You can undergo it abroad, in one of the best clinics in the world, by making an appointment for PIPAC cancer treatment through Booking Health.
What is PIPAC: The Principle of the Method
One of the ways that abdominal tumors metastasize is by spreading through the peritoneum. This is the membrane that covers the organs. Multiple tumor foci can develop in the peritoneum, a phenomenon called peritoneal carcinomatosis.
Systemic chemotherapy can help control these tumor foci to some extent. But what it can do is still limited. Frequent treatment failures are due to the presence of the hematoperitoneal barrier.
The blood flow in the peritoneum is separated from the rest of the circulatory system. Therefore, what is injected into the body does not penetrate well into the abdominal cavity.
But the opposite is also true: what enters the peritoneal cavity is barely absorbed into the systemic bloodstream. Therefore, physicians can inject drugs into the peritoneal cavity without risk of significant systemic toxicity.
This is the principle used in the PIPAC treatment. A pressurized solution of cytostatic drugs is sprayed into the abdomen.
The form of the aerosol allows it to be distributed evenly throughout the abdominal cavity. As a result, the drugs go directly to the cancer cells, destroying them without affecting the rest of the body.
PIPAC is a minimally invasive procedure that is performed through a puncture in the belly. It can be used after surgery or as a stand-alone treatment for inoperable patients. The PIPAC procedure can be repeated several times to maintain the therapeutic result.
For Which Diseases PIPAC Is Indicated
The technique is used for any abdominal tumor that has caused the development of peritoneal carcinomatosis. The procedure is most often performed for stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, tumors of the appendix, peritoneum, ovaries, and pancreas.
The peritoneal carcinomatosis index is not a limitation for PIPAC. The procedure can be performed either to shrink tumors and increase a person’s life expectancy or as a soothing method to eliminate ascites and other symptoms and improve the cancer patient’s quality of life.
PIPAC vs HIPEC
In addition to PIPAC, heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is used in Germany and other developed countries. Many patients do not understand the difference between HIPEC and PIPAC and which is better. However, the procedures are different and have different indications.
Features of HIPEC:
- It is performed only after cytoreductive surgery but is not used as a stand-alone procedure
- It is performed only once
- In standard cases, it is performed through an open access (long abdominal incision)
PIPAC features:
- It is performed as a stand-alone procedure without surgery
- It can be performed more than once
- Minimally invasive access is used, and patients do not require long-term rehabilitation
The HIPEC procedure has been used in medicine for four decades. It has been well investigated in various oncologic diseases.
There is less research on PIPAC, as the technique is relatively new; it has been widely used in oncology for about a dozen years. However, PIPAC has already established itself well, demonstrating in some categories of patients efficacy comparable to surgical treatment and HIPEC.
The main benefits of PIPAC therapy are minimal invasion, no systemic toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents, and the possibility of repeating the procedure several times with improved results.
Because of its high safety and low trauma, PIPAC can be performed even in debilitated patients for whom surgery and HIPEC are contraindicated.
Although PIPAC is initially performed in inoperable patients, there are cases where tumors shrink significantly, and the patient can subsequently undergo cytoreductive surgery. Therefore, PIPAC provides a realistic chance of long-term survival in patients with an excellent response to therapy.
Where to Receive Treatment？
You can undergo the PIPAC abroad. In the best clinics in the world, this method:
- It has been used for more than a decade, so doctors have extensive experience in treating peritoneal carcinomatosis with intraperitoneal pressurized aerosol chemotherapy
- It is performed using optimal drug combinations and chemotherapy dosages
- It provides a good outcome with a low risk of complications
- It can be successfully combined with other cancer therapies
You can find out the cost of treatment abroad, choose a clinic, and make an appointment at a convenient time on the Booking Health website. Here, you can find the leading oncology centers worldwide that have been successfully using PIPAC for peritoneal carcinomatosis for a long time.
Leave a request on the site for consultation with medical tourism specialists. The Booking Health team can help you organize your trip. Medical service prices will be lower than if you apply directly to the clinic since there are no additional fees for foreign patients.
