When Endeavor Health surgical oncologist George Salti, MD, performed the first HIPEC procedure in the Chicago area in 2001, many other physicians thought it was a crazy notion and not a viable option for cancer patients.
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, or HIPEC, procedure combines surgery and heated chemotherapy drugs to treat certain advanced cancers in the abdomen including appendiceal, colon and ovarian.
Now a nationally recognized leader in the advanced surgical procedure, Dr. Salti has performed hundreds of HIPEC surgeries providing hope and better outcomes to patients who have previously been told they may have just months to live.
The two-step procedure involves surgical removal of as much cancerous tissue as possible followed by the delivery of heated chemotherapy medications directly inside the abdomen to eliminate any remaining cancerous cells. The “double-kill” procedure targets aggressive and difficult to reach cancers that have spread from the organ of origin into the abdominal cavity.
HIPEC is now also the standard of care for peritoneal mesothelioma, a very rare cancer that attacks the lining of the abdomen, and there is now data coming out that suggests that HIPEC delivers better outcomes for some slower-growing cancers in appropriately selected candidates, said Dr. Salti.
Only a handful of surgeons in the Chicago area now offer HIPEC and Dr. Salti’s experience and continued focus on quality improvement draws referrals from oncologists who were once skeptical of the procedure but now recognize the positive outcomes and added years of life for patients.
“I have many patients with great quality of life, leading active lives,” said Dr. Salti. “One of my patients ran the Chicago Marathon months after her HIPEC procedure.”
Latest innovation: PIPAC
Today, Dr. Salti is again leading the way with the latest innovation — PIPAC, pressurized intraperitoneal aerosolized chemotherapy — an innovative technique that injects the chemotherapy through a device like a nebulizer during laparoscopic surgery directly into the abdominal cavity. He was the first to perform this surgical procedure in the Midwest and is among only a handful of centers in the country offering PIPAC.
“PIPAC offers a new option for patients with advanced cancers who may not be a candidate for a large surgical procedure,” said Dr. Salti. Several doses of pressurized chemotherapy can be given every six to eight weeks and for some patients the new procedure may be able to serve as a bridge to a HIPEC procedure, explained Dr. Salti.
PIPAC can greatly improve quality of life for patients who have no other treatment options, and the short procedure is generally well tolerated.
Better outcomes for patients
“This is just the ultimate reward to offer patients better outcomes and more time with their families,” said Dr. Salti. “This is the reason I went into surgical oncology.” It’s not uncommon for Dr. Salti and his team to form strong bonds with patients, who are closely followed every three to six months after procedures and celebrated at major milestones years after treatment.
Dr. Salti and Endeavor Health colleagues remain committed to improving surgical protocols and using evidence-based data to drive things like shorter hospital stays and lower readmission rates.
The complex nature of the HIPEC procedure demands a cohesive, specially trained team and Dr. Salti is quick to credit his entire team including anesthesia and nursing with his patients’ success.
“Everybody is in synch, and we work to give patients a seamless experience,” he added.
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