IHPP Program
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Intraoperative Hyperthermic Peritoneal Perfusion (IHPP) is a promising approach to the treatment of advanced abdominal and gynecological cancers. IHPP can be either curative or palliative, depending on the type of tumor and how much of the tumor can be removed surgically. In cases where the tumor is completely removed, IHPP can also be used as adjuvant therapy to try to keep the tumor from recurring.

Used immediately following cytoreductive surgery, IHPP has improved the quality of life and increased the lifespan of some cancer patients. One study of patients with gastric cancer and peritoneal metastasis found that those who had only surgery had a median survival rate of 8 months. Of the patients who had surgery and IHPP, 54 percent had a one year survival rate; 42 percent, a three-year survival rate; and 31 percent, a five-year survival rate.

IHPP can be beneficial for several reasons:

  1. A chemotherapy “bath” can access many hard-to-reach areas. Many residual abdominal cancer cells are located within the peritoneum, the membrane lining of the abdominal and pelvic cavities. When chemotherapy bathes the abdominal region, it has the ability to reach many irregular and complex surfaces.
  2. Cancer cells are more responsive to heated chemotherapy. During IHPP, the chemotherapeutic drug is heated up to about 100º Fahrenheit. Studies have shown that when chemotherapeutic agents such as adriamycin, melphalan, mitomycin C, cisplatin, and bleomycin are warmed, cancer cells are more responsive to their cytotoxic effects.
  3. Regional chemotherapy goes only where it’s needed. Chemotherapy is a toxic and powerful drug. IHPP is a method of regional chemotherapy, meaning that it is directed to the area where it is needed, rather than travel throughout the entire body.
  4. IHPP is a safe technique. IHPP is a straightforward procedure that has few potential risks. It does extend the time a patient spends under anesthesia, however, so patients in a frail condition or with other health problems may not be candidates for IHPP.

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