LAMEZIA TERME (ITALPRESS) – It is called PIPAC, pressurized airflow intra-peritoneal chemotherapy, the surgical procedure performed today, for the first time in Calabria, at the “Giovanni Paolo II” hospital in Lamezia Terme of the Catanzaro Provincial Health Authority. The delicate surgery was performed within the operating block under general anesthesia by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr. Manfredo Tedesco, director of the complex structure of General Surgery and head of the Department of the Surgical Area, assisted by two young surgeons Dr. Denise Gambardella and Dr. Ettore Caruso, and the anesthesiology team headed by Dr. Anna Monardo; the procedure, performed with a minimally invasive surgical technique, also required the support of the instrumentalist in charge of these special procedures, Margherita Gottardo.Benefiting from this innovative procedure was a patient suffering from peritoneal carcinosis with abdominal ascitic effusion resulting from uterine neoplasia; a short postoperative stay is expected and a complete remission of the abdominal effusion is expected, with a substantial improvement in general condition associated with improved quality of life. The procedure, basically a local administration of chemotherapeutic drugs, can be repeated 6-8 weeks apart, up to even six cycles, depending on the results and the type of tumor. “PIPAC represents one of the most recently established loco-regional treatments,” explained Dr. Manfredo Tedesco, “until now, one had to go outside the region to undergo this procedure. It is a procedure that is excellently tolerated by the patient, as it is performed with a minimally invasive approach, and with reduced absorption of the chemotherapy, which is administered at high pressure in the peritoneal cavity. This allows for high diffusion and penetration into the peritoneum, with rapid postoperative recovery and limited or no side effects, so much so that the patient can resume systemic treatments a few days after the procedure. “The purpose of these procedures,” points out Dr. Pina Molinaro, director of the Oncology Operating Unit of the ‘Giovanni Paolo II’ being part of the operating team, “is currently to treat neoplastic ascites or very advanced peritoneal carcinosis. However, evidence is emerging that points toward a possible application to reduce peritoneal disease and bring it to an operable stage, or even to use it as a prophylactic treatment in cases with a high risk of recurrence in the peritoneum.”The combination of drugs used for these procedures is carried out directly by the Hospital Pharmacy directed by Dr. Aloe, who explains, “The chemotherapy drug administered intraperitoneally by pressurized airflow is set up by adapting the therapy protocols to the anthropometric data of the patients and on the basis of the severity of the disease and the performance status of the patient. It is a multidisciplinary work between us pharmacists and the specialist doctor in charge of the person; together we validate the most appropriate specific protocol for a precise anatomic-clinical situation, which will then be administered during the procedure. “The drugs used for the administration of high-pressure nebulized drugs,” says Dr. Micaela Scalese, “are those currently used in the protocols of chemotherapies administered intravenously. The peculiarity of the procedure lies in the delivery of the same drugs directly into the peritoneum in nebulized form. The small particle size allows the drug to diffuse deep into the peritoneum, to remain in situ for a time that results in a reduction of peritoneal carcinosis, with a consequent improvement in the quality and life expectancy of patients.”With the introduction of the PIPAC method, the Surgery of the Lametine Hospital further enriches its connotations as a barycentric and referral facility for gastric cancer, increasingly representing the ideal place of care for the treatment of gastric neoplasia and neoplastic diseases with peritoneal involvement. This connotation is destined to be accentuated with the acquisition of other innovative technologies planned for next year, which will see Lametine surgery boosted by an additional 8 surgeons thanks to the competition currently being held and in which 34 candidates are participating. Competence, technology and innovation thus generate attractiveness.
– Photo: press office Asp Catanzaro –
(ITALPRESS).
