Hyperthermic Pleural Perfusion Treatment

If you have pleural metastases, hyperthermic pleural perfusion treatment may be right for you.

Sometimes it's used along with other therapies, such as IV chemotherapy and radiation.

Hyperthermic pleural perfusion isn't for everyone. If you're too sick or have a different type of cancer, another treatment may work better. Your cancer team will present you with options based on your unique situation.

As with any complex procedure, there are benefits and risks to hyperthermic pleural perfusion treatment.

• Doctors can apply high doses of chemo directly to tumors in the chest cavity while limiting side effects in the rest of the body.
• Heating cancer cells to above-normal temperatures make them easier to destroy with chemo and radiation.
• It may be the best option for people with certain aggressive lung cancers, like pleural mesothelioma.

• Hyperthermic pleural perfusion requires specialized equipment and a highly trained treatment team like UPMC Hillman Cancer Center's expert surgeons.
• Hyperthermic pleural perfusion carries risks that are similar to other major surgeries.

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer that forms directly from the inner lining of the chest wall. It's extremely aggressive and hard to treat effectively. The main risk factor is exposure to asbestos.

A surgeon generally combines hyperthermic pleural perfusion with CRS.

First, your doctor performs CRS to remove all visible cancer nodules (or as much of the tumor as possible). Hyperthermic pleural perfusion immediately follows to treat any leftover small or invisible tumor nodules. The surgery itself can last a long time, depending on how many tumors are present.

You will sleep through the treatment under general anesthesia.

During hyperthermic pleural perfusion, the surgeon inserts small tubes and temperature probes into the abdomen:

• One tube delivers the heated chemotherapy solution into your abdomen.
• The other tube circulates the fluid back to a heating element to maintain a temperature between 105 and 107.6 F (40.6 C to 42 C) in the abdomen.

The surgeon will rock you back and forth for about one hour to ensure the chemotherapeutic drug washes over all the cancer cells. This process aims to kill any remaining cancer within the pleural cavity.

At the end of CRS-hyperthermic pleural perfusion, the surgeon turns off the pump and allows your body to return to a normal temperature. The surgeon will flush your abdomen with a saline solution to clear out the medicine and remove the tubes and temperature probes.

Once your treatment is complete, doctors will send you to the recovery room. Your recovery time will depend on a few factors, including how sick you are. However, you can expect to spend a week or two in the hospital after the treatment.

Once you go home, the cancer team will follow up with you as you heal from the surgery. The team will give you specific details on making follow-up visits. Expect to feel more tired than usual for a few months as your body regains strength.