Woman with Ovarian Cancer Has 30 Pounds of Tumors Removed

The entire procedure consists of two parts. During the first part of the procedure, the surgeon enters into the patient’s abdominal cavity either via open incision or laparoscopically. He or she then works systematically to completely remove the abdominal tumor (cytoreduction). The tumor can be removed using several methods, including thermal ablation, cryoablation, and ultrasonic ablation. The second part of the procedure involves delivering heated chemotherapy solution directly into the abdominal cavity (HIPEC). This part of the procedure is sometimes referred to as a chemo bath. “I basically give the patient a heated chemotherapy wash for about 90 minutes. The chemotherapy is heated to 108 Fahrenheit and what the chemotherapy does it takes care of any minute cancer cells that we can’t see,” said Dr. Mogal. The heat aids the chemotherapy solution to better penetrate the cancer cells.