The University of New Mexico (UNM) Comprehensive Cancer Center has initiated a clinical trial to investigate the effectiveness of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) in treating ovarian cancer. This approach, commonly used for digestive cancers, is now being explored for its potential to improve outcomes in ovarian cancer patients.
Ovarian cancer remains a significant health challenge, with the American Cancer Society estimating 120 new cases and 70 deaths in New Mexico alone in 2024. National Cancer Institute data indicates a five-year survival rate of approximately 50.9%. The disease often presents with vague symptoms and lacks effective early-stage screening, leading to diagnoses at advanced stages when tumors have spread throughout the peritoneum.
HIPEC: A Targeted Approach
Conventional chemotherapy affects cells throughout the body, while regional therapies like HIPEC target specific areas. Dr. Alissa Greenbaum, who leads the HIPEC program at UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains, "Delivering chemotherapy directly into the abdomen allows us to give high doses of chemotherapy onto the surfaces of the abdominal organs while avoiding high doses circulating in the bloodstream."
Dr. Greenbaum, New Mexico's only HIPEC-trained surgeon, received specialized training at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The HIPEC procedure involves two key steps: surgical removal of visible tumors from the peritoneum, followed by the administration of heated chemotherapy drugs directly into the abdominal cavity for 90 minutes.
Potential Benefits and Risks
While HIPEC is standard for stage IV appendix cancer and is also used to treat colorectal cancer, mesothelioma, stomach cancer, and other cancers that spread to the peritoneum, its application to ovarian cancer could offer substantial advantages. "Many studies are showing that when combined with other cancer treatments, HIPEC can help patients live longer," Dr. Greenbaum noted.
However, surgery with HIPEC carries inherent risks and requires an extended hospital recovery period due to potential side effects such as sluggish digestion.
Clinical Trial Details
Dr. Carolyn Muller, Associate Director for Clinical Research at UNM Cancer Center and leader of its Gynecologic Oncology team, believes that "HIPEC could be ideal as a component of ovarian cancer treatment." She highlighted that most ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed at stage III or IV, when tumors have already spread extensively within the peritoneal cavity.
A 2018 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that ovarian cancer patients who underwent surgery with HIPEC lived an average of 12 months longer than those who had standard surgery.
The clinical trial at UNM will compare standard surgery with surgery using HIPEC and assess whether it extends patient survival rates. The trial will also examine maintenance therapy post-surgery and track disease recurrence rates. The trial is titled “Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Followed by Niraparib for Ovarian, Primary Peritoneal and Fallopian Tube Cancer (HOTT).”
UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of 23 sites nationwide participating in this trial. While not all ovarian cancer patients will qualify, Dr. Muller encourages those needing pre-surgery chemotherapy to consider participation. "Not every patient will qualify for the procedure," Dr. Greenbaum emphasized, "but we would rather capture more patients who could benefit than miss them completely."
UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center is New Mexico’s only NCI-designated cancer center within a 500-mile radius. Its multidisciplinary team includes over 136 board-certified oncology specialists, providing comprehensive care across various types of cancers to approximately 65% of New Mexico’s patients annually.
