100 cancer patients got fresh lease of life, thanks to new AIIMS technology
New Delhi: Doctors at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are making a big difference in the treatment of some abdominal cancers by using a treatment some call the "chemo bath". The premier hospital has introduced a new technology Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) to its onco-surgery department for the treatment of cancers for example colon cancer, colorectal cancer and ovary cancer, mostly in their advanced stage. With this, nearly 100 cancer patients who were on the verge of death have been given a new lease of life.
According to experts, usually, chemotherapy drugs are infused into the veins post-surgery to destroy cancer cells. With the new technology, surgeons are able to infuse the high dosage of chemotherapy directly into the affected areas. "It leads to significant improvement in the survival rate of patients," Dr SVS Deo, head of surgical oncology at the institute, said.
"Doctors face big challenges treating rare cancers in the abdomen. They remove tumors, but cancer cells can spread through the abdominal cavity and the surface of other organs, making recurrence a probability," doctors said.
The technology known as hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been in use on an experimental basis in Western countries for nearly two decades. But in India, it gained ground a few months ago, said Dr Deo. HIPEC has at least three advantages over traditional chemo: the 106-degree chemo temperature kills cancer cells, the chemo penetrates 2 millimetres into tissue and chemo dosage can be higher because it doesn't go into the rest of the body and cause side effects, experts added.
HIPEC is increasing cure rates of several cancers of abdominal organs – cancers where chemo infusions won't help because the cancer cells aren't attached to the bloodstream, said the expert. At AIIMS, he added, they conducted HIPEC for the first time in 2013 on a 35-year-old woman suffering from peritoneal cancer. The heating of chemotherapy drugs had to be done manually and it was pumped into the patient post-surgery via the heart and lung machine. She is still alive. Nearly 100 patients have already been given treatment through his technology and they are doing good in their life.
With the use of this technology, the mortality rate during surgery has gone down from 10 per cent to 2-3 per cent. The overall survival rate has improved by 30 to 40 per cent using the new technology," Dr Deo said.
He also added that AIIMS is the only hospital which offers it for free for the people below the poverty line and at the subsidised rate to others. Moreover, some private hospitals are also providing the treatment with the same technology but their charges are very high. He highlighted that this technology cannot be used for all cancer patients, but only to those who are having cancer at the abdominal lining. Also, it has to be conducted at a centre with skilled and experienced professionals, given that any variation of drug dosage or temperature control can be fatal. AIIMS recently held a workshop at the institute to train young surgeons in HIPEC.
