What Is PIPAC for Mesothelioma?
PIPAC is an innovative approach for treating malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. It involves turning chemotherapy into a high-pressure aerosol mist and delivering it directly into the abdominal cavity (peritoneum), which helps cancer-fighting drugs better penetrate tumor tissue.
PIPAC for mesothelioma is currently only available in clinical trials, where it’s showing promise in managing cancer symptoms and improving quality of life.
Key Facts on PIPAC Treatment
- Doctors recommend several PIPAC cycles for the best outcome.
- A 2021 study found that patients who received PIPAC, cytoreductive surgery, and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) lived 33.5 months on average.
- PIPAC generally has fewer side effects than cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC.
As studies continue, PIPAC could one day become a standard treatment option for peritoneal mesothelioma.
Need help accessing PIPAC? Use our Free Doctor Match to connect with specialists who can see if you’re eligible to get PIPAC for mesothelioma and other top treatments.
How Does the PIPAC Procedure Work for Mesothelioma?
PIPAC delivers concentrated mesothelioma chemotherapy directly into the peritoneum through a pump system that sprays the liquid cancer-fighting drugs across the cavity. This allows doctors to target cancer cells more effectively than traditional chemotherapy, which circulates throughout the body in a less concentrated dose.
What to Expect During PIPAC Cancer Treatment Sessions
- Receive anesthesia: You’ll undergo general anesthesia, so you won’t feel any pain during the treatment.
- Get PIPAC surgery: PIPAC is a laparoscopic procedure, meaning doctors make small surgical incisions to insert the pump into the abdomen.
- Undergo chemotherapy: The chemotherapy drugs are administered as an aerosol mist, which allows the drugs to spread throughout the abdomen and penetrate tumors. This takes about 60-90 minutes.
- Recover in the hospital: After the procedure, you may need to stay in the hospital for 1-2 days. Doctors can monitor you for any possible complications and recommend follow-up care if needed.
You can get multiple cycles of PIPAC for mesothelioma, depending on your doctor’s recommendation.
Most medical teams suggest getting a minimum of 3 PIPAC cycles for best results, according to a 2023 report in PLOS One. If you don’t experience severe side effects and PIPAC helps to shrink your cancer tumors, you can potentially receive over a dozen cycles.
PIPAC vs. HIPEC for Mesothelioma
PIPAC and cytoreduction with HIPEC are unique treatments that may help peritoneal mesothelioma patients live longer.
Here are the main differences between the two:
| PIPAC | Cytoreduction With HIPEC |
|---|---|
| Only available in clinical trials | More widely available as a standard treatment |
| Minimally invasive chemotherapy | Major surgery and chemotherapy treatment |
| Patients can leave the hospital in 1-2 days | Patients may need up to 2 weeks in the hospital to recover |
| Takes less than 2 hours | Takes 4-10 hours |
“I think there are benefits of both cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC and PIPAC. One of the things that interests me about PIPAC is that it allows me to visualize the treatment. So with each session, the surgeons can actually gauge how the cancer is responding to the treatment.”
– Dr. Byrne Lee, peritoneal mesothelioma specialist at Stanford Medicine
Since both have benefits, doctors may recommend using both cytoreduction with HIPEC and PIPAC in mesothelioma treatment plans to give patients the best chance of living longer. Call (866) 608-8933 for help finding top peritoneal mesothelioma doctors who can recommend PIPAC and other treatments.
Benefits of PIPAC Cancer Treatment
PIPAC has several potential benefits in treating peritoneal mesothelioma.
The advantages of PIPAC for mesothelioma include:
- Access to surgery: In a 2022 study published in The Annals of Surgical Oncology, PIPAC shrank cancer tumors to the point where 55% of peritoneal mesothelioma patients qualified for tumor-removing surgery. Before PIPAC, their cancer was considered unresectable (not treatable with surgery).
- Higher chemotherapy concentration: PIPAC delivers a high dose of chemotherapy directly to the tumor site, attacking cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy tissue.
- Minimized side effects: Since PIPAC uses lower doses of chemotherapy and is a minimally invasive procedure, it has fewer side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy or cytoreduction with HIPEC.
- Extended survival: When combined with other treatments like cytoreduction with HIPEC, peritoneal mesothelioma cancer patients can live for several years on average.
- Symptom relief: PIPAC allows doctors to drain peritoneal effusions (ascites) caused by painful fluid buildup in the abdominal cavity caused by mesothelioma.
If you’re curious if PIPAC could help you, speak with your mesothelioma doctor to find out whether it can be added to your treatment plan.
Who Is Eligible for PIPAC Chemotherapy?
PIPAC is only available to patients who’ve been diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma and other gastrointestinal cancers.
PIPAC for mesothelioma may help patients:
- As part of a comprehensive treatment plan: A study in BMC Cancer noted that PIPAC could be used before or during cytoreductive surgery or along systemic chemotherapy to help patients live longer.
- With advanced disease: PIPAC can safely treat patients with late-stage peritoneal malignancies (cancers) since it has a low risk of toxicity or severe complications.
- With limited treatment options: For patients who can’t undergo major surgery, PIPAC offers a potential alternative to help them live longer.
“I do think that PIPAC will become more and more prevalent in the future.”
– Dr. Byrne Lee, peritoneal mesothelioma specialist at Stanford Medicine
Use our Free Checklist of 14 Questions to Ask Your Doctor to see if mesothelioma PIPAC treatments may be an option in your case.
PIPAC Side Effects
While PIPAC for mesothelioma is less invasive than many other treatments, it can still cause some side effects.
Common side effects of PIPAC for mesothelioma include:
- Bowel injury at surgery site
- Fever
- General discomfort
- Infection
- Mild stomach pain
- Nausea
People with certain pre-existing conditions may also be at higher risk for adverse events and severe side effects from PIPAC treatment. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and possible risks before recommending PIPAC for mesothelioma.
PIPAC and Mesothelioma Prognosis
PIPAC can potentially improve the mesothelioma prognosis (expected health outlook) of patients since it helps destroy cancer tumors throughout the abdominal cavity.
PIPAC for mesothelioma stopped tumors from spreading for 7.4 months on average in a 2021 study published in The Annals of Surgical Oncology.
The overall survival time was 33.5 months for patients who underwent PIPAC and cytoreduction with HIPEC. The cancer stopped spreading or shrank for nearly 3 years on average with this combination.
In a BMC Cancer study, PIPAC helped stop the spread of peritoneal mesothelioma in more than 50% of patients. Also, 20% of patients went into complete mesothelioma remission (meaning all signs of cancer disappeared).
How Much Does PIPAC for Mesothelioma Cost?
PIPAC for mesothelioma is currently only available in clinical trials, which cost patients nothing to join.
That said, the costs of other mesothelioma treatments and medical bills can exceed $400,000 each year.
This estimate doesn’t factor in other costs like lost wages or travel expenses if you don’t live close to the nearest treatment center.
If you or a loved one is facing peritoneal mesothelioma, you may qualify for financial compensation to help pay for your treatment sessions. Call (866) 608-8933 to learn more.
Mesothelioma PIPAC Clinical Trials
Doctors continue to study PIPAC for mesothelioma in clinical trials.
Ongoing PIPAC trials include:
- MESOTIP: Doctors are studying whether PIPAC and systemic chemotherapy are more effective for peritoneal mesothelioma compared to standard chemotherapy drugs (cisplatin and pemetrexed). This phase II trial is recruiting patients, with results expected in 2028.
- Nab-PIPAC: PIPAC is combined with nanoparticle albumin-based paclitaxel for unresectable peritoneal metastases. Early results have shown promise in treating cancer and improving quality of life.
- PIPAC-OPC7: Doctors are using PET/CT imaging scans to monitor how effective PIPAC is in treating peritoneal cancers. Results are expected by the end of 2025.
These studies are helping to establish PIPAC for mesothelioma as a safe and effective treatment option.
A mesothelioma specialist can check whether you’re eligible to join a clinical trial testing PIPAC for mesothelioma. Use our Free Doctor Match now to connect with a specialist near you.
See if PIPAC for Mesothelioma Could Work for You
Recent studies have shown that PIPAC safely delivers chemotherapy to destroy peritoneal mesothelioma tumors, giving patients more time to make memories with loved ones.
If you or a loved one is facing peritoneal mesothelioma, reach out to our team right now.
We can help you:
- Learn more about PIPAC for mesothelioma and other treatments
- Connect with top mesothelioma specialists near you
- Pursue financial compensation to cover your medical expenses
- Secure the support you need to navigate life with mesothelioma
Call (866) 608-8933 or use our Free Doctor Match to get started.
PIPAC for Mesothelioma FAQs
What is the PIPAC procedure?
Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a new treatment for abdominal cancers. It delivers chemotherapy as a pressurized aerosol into the abdominal cavity to help destroy tumors.
It can help treat:
- Peritoneal mesothelioma
- Colorectal cancer
- Gastric cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Peritoneal carcinomatosis
- Other peritoneal cancers
Peritoneal aerosol chemotherapy penetrates deep into cancer tumors and shrinks them. This makes it more effective than systemic chemotherapy.
Who is a candidate for PIPAC?
Peritoneal mesothelioma patients are candidates for PIPAC as this treatment specifically targets the abdominal cavity.
Doctors will assess a patient’s overall health and cancer spread to determine if they will be a good candidate to receive PIPAC for mesothelioma.
Is PIPAC better than HIPEC?
PIPAC may be better than hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) if a patient has advanced cancer. Cytoreduction with HIPEC is a major procedure, so surgical oncology teams may not use it if the cancer is too widespread.
In some cases, PIPAC may be a first-line (initial) treatment used to shrink tumors so patients can then undergo cytoreduction with HIPEC.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, consult with a doctor to learn if PIPAC is the right choice for your treatment plan.
What is the survival rate for the PIPAC procedure?
Peritoneal mesothelioma patients who underwent PIPAC and cytoreduction with HIPEC had a 2-year survival rate of 83.3% in a study from The Annals of Surgical Oncology.
This shows that PIPAC for mesothelioma has the potential to help many patients live longer, especially when combined with other treatments.
Contact our team now for help accessing PIPAC for mesothelioma and other therapies to improve your life expectancy.
What is the life expectancy of a patient on the PIPAC?
When PIPAC and cytoreduction with HIPEC were used together, peritoneal mesothelioma patients lived 33.5 months on average, according to a 2021 study from The Annals of Surgical Oncology.
Doctors can use PIPAC and other treatments to increase your peritoneal mesothelioma life expectancy. Which treatments will be used depends on the nature of your case.
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