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Mesothelioma Surgery is Now Much Safer

ByHolly Zink
Mesothelioma Surgery is Now Much Safer

Doctors have made huge improvements on a procedure called cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC). This is positive news for people for malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.

Surgery as a Treatment

CRS/HIPEC is a surgery that is used to treat cancers that are found on the surface of organs in the stomach area. This includes malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM).

MPM is an aggressive cancer caused by asbestos. The cancer grows on the lining of the abdominal cavity. Symptoms of MPM are usually noticed first in the stomach area. People might feel abdominal pain or swelling, fever, and night sweats.

MPM is the second most common form of mesothelioma. The most common type of this cancer is malignant pleural mesothelioma, which grows in the lining of the lungs.

CRS-HIPEC is a treatment that involves surgery and chemotherapy. It is often used to treat MPM. During the CRS-HIPEC procedure, chemotherapy drugs are heated and then delivered directly into the abdominal cavity, where the cancer is located. The heat helps to increase the effectiveness of the chemotherapy. It may also help to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Minimal Cuts is Safer for Patient

When doctors first started using CRS/HIPEC for cancers like MPM, it was very invasive, and the patient needed to stay in the hospital for a long time.

Now, as the procedure can be done with minimal cuts in a way that is much safer for the patient. After the surgery, the patient can go home much sooner to recover.

Doctors are also using robots to help them perform CRS/HIPEC. A few small studies have shown that using robots during this procedure can lead to better outcomes for the patient. This includes less blood loss and less time to complete the surgery.

Currently, CRS/HIPEC is only recommended for patients with good health who have been diagnosed with cancer early. Doctors hope that as this surgery continues to improve, it will be recommended for more types of patients.

Source

Ortega J, Orfanelli T, Levine E, Konstantinidis IT. The robotic future of minimally invasive cytoreduction and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal surface malignancies [published online ahead of print, 2023 Mar 13]. Chin Clin Oncol. 2023;cco-22-118. doi:10.21037/cco-22-118. https://cco.amegroups.com/article/viewFile/111384/pdf

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