Regional Cancer Therapies

Surgical oncologist Mecker G. Moller, MD, and patient

Surgical oncologist Mecker G. Möller, MD, leads the Regional Cancer Therapies Program.

Regional therapies are cancer treatments that deliver high doses of chemotherapy, radiation or medicine directly to a specific organ or body part. They involve innovative surgical and minimally invasive approaches to limit treatment to the tumor area, which reduces harm to healthy tissue in the rest of the body. Patients usually have fewer side effects with regional therapies (sometimes called organ-directed therapies) than with treatments like intravenous (IV) chemotherapy that must travel throughout the body.

New regional therapies are especially beneficial for adults with advanced, or metastatic, cancers that have spread to organs inside the abdomen. They can also help cancer patients who may not be able to have surgery for their tumors. Treatment plans that include regional therapies are even allowing some patients who were once told their cancer was untreatable to achieve a longer life.

Regional therapies can only be given by physicians with special training and expertise, and they are only available at leading cancer centers like the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our cancer team provides a wide range of regional cancer therapies — including many that are not available at most hospitals.

Appointments: 1-855-702-8222

How do I Know if I’m a Candidate for Regional Therapies?

You may benefit from regional therapies if you have intra-abdominal metastases (cancer that has spread inside the abdomen) from:

Appendix cancer or other tumors of the appendix
Pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare tumor that usually starts in the appendix and spreads inside the abdomen)
Colon cancer
Peritoneal mesothelioma
Ovarian cancer
Stomach (gastric) cancer
Round cell sarcoma
Liver tumors (primary or metastatic)

You may also benefit from regional therapies if you have:

In-transit cutaneous or nodal metastases from malignant melanoma
Unresectable extremity sarcomas (meaning they cannot be removed with surgery)

Besides your type of cancer, other factors can determine if regional therapy is right for you, including:

Where and how quickly the cancer has spread in your body
Your tumor type and how likely it is to recur (return)
Your previous cancer treatments
Your overall health
Your treatment goals

In most cases, you can still have a regional cancer therapy if you have already had cancer surgery or another cancer treatment.

Regional Therapies Available at UChicago Medicine

At UChicago Medicine, we offer the latest regional cancer therapies for several types of cancer. Many of these options are only available at select hospitals. These treatments include:

Hyperthermic (or heated) intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)

UChicago Medicine is one of the few hospitals in the country that offers this advanced treatment for adults and children with selected types of metastatic abdominal cancer causing peritoneal carcinomatosis (cancer in the tissue surrounding the abdominal organs). Hyperthermic (or heated) intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is delivered by an expert surgical oncologist at the time of tumor removal (cytoreductive surgery). During HIPEC, surgeons deliver heated chemotherapy inside the abdomen to kill any remaining cancer cells with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.

Hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump chemotherapy

UChicago Medicine is the only hospital in Illinois to offer this powerful treatment for patients with certain metastatic colorectal and bile duct cancers that affect the liver. During hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump chemotherapy, the surgeon places a wireless pump in the abdomen to deliver high doses of chemotherapy — as much as 300 to 400 times higher than IV chemotherapy — directly to the liver.

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) injections

Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) injection is an FDA-approved, outpatient treatment is for advanced in-transit or not surgically resectable melanoma of the skin or lymph nodes. Over the course of six months or more, a doctor repeatedly injects a tumor with a drug that uses a genetically modified virus to stimulate the patient’s own immune system to destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

Isolated limb infusion (ILI)

UChicago Medicine is among a select group of hospitals to offer isolated limb perfusion (ILI) for certain melanomas and sarcomas (bone and soft tissue cancers) in an arm or leg that cannot be removed with surgery. During this innovative treatment, a surgical oncologist delivers high doses of chemotherapy through a catheter (small tube) to the affected limb. At the same time, blood flow is temporarily restricted in the area to keep the chemotherapy near the tumor.

Several interventional radiology treatments available at UChicago Medicine are also considered regional therapies. These minimally invasive treatments involve image-guided technology that allows physicians to thread tiny needles and other instruments through your blood vessels to your tumor. Some of these treatments include:

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE)

Ablation

Irreversible electroporation (IRE or NanoKnife)

Histotripsy

HIPEC is an aggressive, targeted surgical technique that attacks abdominal cancer with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING] HIPEC means hope for patients with abdominal cancer. Here's why. HIPEC, hypothermic or heated intraperitoneal chemoperfusion, is an aggressive targeted surgical technique for patients with a variety of abdominal cancers. HIPEC helps with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy, deeper penetration of the medicine, and greater effectiveness in killing cancer cells than conventional chemotherapy.

UChicago Medicine is one of the only hospitals to offer the treatment for both children and adults. How does HIPEC work? First, surgeons remove the patients' tumors immediately following surgery. The patient's abdomen is treated with a heated chemotherapy bathe. The chemotherapy is heated to cause blood vessels to expand and improve the medicines penetration and effectiveness. They heated concentrated dose of chemotherapy can directly target cancerous cells, destroying them before they can become future tumors.

This also means that the chemo stays where it can help the most rather than circulating throughout the body. After about 90 minutes, the surgeons wash out the chemo and close the incisions. We also offer minimally invasive HIPEC to eligible patients. For some patients, HIPEC will achieve a long term cure for their abdominal cancers. In other cases, HIPEC allows doctors to treat incurable cancers more like a chronic disease and less like a terminal illness. HIPEC means hope for patients with abdominal cancer. Need more information about HIPEC? Call 888-824-0200 or go to UChicagomedicine.org/HIPEC. UChicago Medicine is here to help.

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