A two-step procedure could benefit patients with peritoneal metastases from gastrointestinal or gynecologic malignancies.
UT Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is the first medical center in North Texas to offer a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to treat certain advanced cancers that spread in the belly cavity.
This emerging therapeutic approach for peritoneal metastases from advanced appendiceal, colorectal, gastric, gynecologic, and mesothelial cancers involves surgery to remove visible tumors. It is then followed by a heated chemotherapy bath to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Alex Kim, M.D., Ph.D., a Eugene P. Frenkel, M.D. Scholar in Clinical Medicine and Assistant Professor of Surgery at UT Southwestern in the Division of Surgical Oncology, specializes in peritoneal surface malignancy and performs cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). He explains that for certain cancers, complete removal of visible cancers during surgery followed by delivery of heated chemotherapy directly to the affected area can dramatically improve outcomes in patients.
“Patients with peritoneal metastases from gastrointestinal cancers have a grim prognosis,” Dr. Kim says. “Cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC is an aggressive treatment that has demonstrated improved overall survival compared with systemic chemotherapy alone.”
Hope Through Innovation
Dr. Kim is leading a comprehensive and multidisciplinary team at Simmons Cancer Center and is accepting referrals from community physicians. But there is more research to be done. Dr. Kim explains that the field needs to continue to advance with better techniques, the discovery of new drugs, and innovative research.
“The novel treatment strategies are diverse, although many are preliminary and still preclinical,” he says. “New treatments offer patients hope for improved outcomes and quality of life.”
Pioneering Clinical Trials
In addition to his surgical practice, Dr. Kim is pioneering new clinical trials for peritoneal metastases from gastrointestinal malignancies. He and his team will be opening new clinical trials involving mucin-degrading agents as well as evaluating pressurized intraperitoneal chemotherapy for patients who have failed the current standard of care.
“Our goal is to establish these therapies for patients who do not qualify for the current standard of care and otherwise have no options,” Dr. Kim says. “All of these trials will open late 2024 to early 2025.”
Alex Kim, M.D., Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, at UT Southwestern. He specializes in complex gastrointestinal oncology and advanced cancer management for appendiceal cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and mesothelioma. He performs surgeries in Dallas but accepts patients from all over the world. His medical license arrangement allows the ability to conduct telehealth visits in Texas, Alabama, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Mississippi, making pre- and post-surgical appointments more convenient for patients in those states.