New Surgical Option for Pediatric Patients with Rare Abdominal Cancer

A new study describes an adapted adult surgery technique that increased the survival of pediatric patients with a rare and aggressive pediatric cancer known as desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT).

Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX, USA) retrospectively described 24 pediatric patients diagnosed with DSCRT who underwent a surgical procedure called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) or "heated chemotherapy.”

The results of the study indicated that younger patients had better outcomes from HIPEC than patients older than 18 years did, and disease-free survival was also better for those who received HIPEC in addition to debulking surgery. At one year, disease-free survival was 14% for those who only received debulking surgery as compared to 53% who received HIPEC. The overall 3-year survival rate of HIPEC patients was 71%, compared to just 26% for patients who received only standard treatment. The study was published in the May 20, 2010, issue of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

"This study demonstrates that the surgical technique is safe and advantageous for patients who have multiple tumors in their abdomen,” said first author Andrea Hayes-Jordan, M.D., an assistant professor at the MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital, and first and only surgeon in the United States so far to perform the adult HIPEC procedure on children. "In the past, these patients were told there was nothing else to be done, but now we can add months and often years to the lives of these young patients using this surgery.”

HIPEC involves the removing, or debulking, of hundreds of tumors in a patient's abdominal cavity. Then, a chemotherapy agent heated at 40 to 41 degrees Celsius is run throughout the cavity, while the patient lies on a cooling blanket to keep the body's temperatures at a safe level. The chemotherapy helps to kill any microscopic tumor cells that are left behind after the debulking surgery. Within one to two months, patients are often fully recovered from surgery and back to their regular activities.

Related Links:
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center