Surgical Oncology
Peritoneal Surface Disease
The Wake Forest Surgical Oncology team is led by Edward A. Levine, MD, and is nationally recognized for the treatment of tumors that have spread through the peritoneal cavity. The cancer may originate in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdomen) called mesothelioma. However, more commonly, the peritoneum may be the point for metastases from other cancers in the abdominal region (ovarian, gastric, colon, small bowel or appendix). We have one of the world’s largest experiences with advanced treatment of tumors that have spread to the peritoneum.
Treatments for Peritoneal Surface Malignancy in North Carolina
We perform a two-phase treatment for peritoneal surface disease. It includes:
- Cytoreductive surgery, also called debulking, partially removes tumors that cannot be fully excised. This is done in order to prepare the patient for chemotherapy or radiation. (Partial removal of tumors is not considered an effective treatment on its own.)
- HIPEC is a perfusion technique and only performed in combination with cytoreductive surgery. After the surgeons remove as much as of the tumors as they can, while the abdomen is open, doctors perfuse the peritoneal cavity with a sterile, heated chemotherapy solution to kill any remaining cancerous cells. Learn more about Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy.
Wake Forest’s expertise in HIPEC draws patients from all over the United States for both established treatments and clinical trials. Our program was established in 1992, and is one of the most experienced in the world. The team has been honored with numerous prestigious medical publications and has trained surgeons performing the procedure at other leading institutions. This approach has lead to hope and even cures of patients thought to be untreatable elsewhere.