Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer will be hosting an international workshop this week on an innovative new therapy for late-stage cancer patients.
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The first Middle East International PIPAC (Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy) Workshop, scheduled for Oct. 20-22, has drawn surgical oncologists and medical professionals from Israel and abroad to learn the innovative procedure, including theory, concept and technique, dry-lab training, and live surgeries.
Developed in Germany in 2011, Pressurized Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a relatively new technique for late-stage cancer patients that uses a video camera and the CapnoPen, a customized nebulizer device, which pressurizes the chemotherapy agents, transforming it into an aerosol spray that can reach into the abdominal cavity. The primary benefit of PIPAC is that a smaller dosage of cytotoxic agents is required as the aerosolized delivery penetrates deeper into the tumor tissue and thereby reducing the tumor load in the abdominal cavity, the amount of fluid (ascites), and slowing the progression of the disease. PIPAC can be used for patients with metastatic disease from gastric (stomach), colon, appendiceal, and ovarian cancer as well as mesothelioma and liver cancers.
The intensive three-day training course at Sheba Medical Center, the first of its kind to be held in the Middle East, is headed by Sheba surgical oncologists, Prof. Aviram Nissim, Dr. Almog Ben-Yaacov and Dr. Mohammad Adileh. The team has performed the procedure successfully in more than 160 cases at Sheba, the only facility in Israel where it is available.
"Beyond traveling to Europe to learn the procedure so we could perform it successfully at Sheba, we also got certified to teach it," said Ben-Yaacov, attending surgical oncologist at Sheba. "By sharing our medical knowledge with the world, we save lives while continuing to create a global impact."
"PIPAC has been shown to be particularly effective for palliative purposes and for down-staging cancer patients who have not reached end-stage disease," said Prof. Aviram Nissim, Chief of Department of General and Oncological Surgery at Sheba Medical Center. "The main goal of this treatment is to prolong survival and enhance quality of life."
