Senior Capstone Experience by Alexandra Lee ’20
Submitted to the Department of Biology
Advised by Dr. Jennie Carr
Abstract: “Cytoreductive surgery paired with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is a relatively novel technique used to treat various forms of cancer, including ovarian cancer, gastric adenocarcinoma, and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Cytoreductive surgery is performed by surgically removing visible tumor nodules in the peritoneal cavity. Hyperthermic chemotherapy is then locally administered to the surgical region. The use of hyperthermia increases the toxicity of the applied chemotherapy agent by promoting DNA-crosslinking and tumor infiltration and leads to destruction of cancer cells through protein denaturation and activation of apoptosis. Three primary articles were used to highlight the varying protocols of this novel procedure, including classification of resection status after cytoreductive surgery and temperature of the applied chemotherapy agents. Additionally, overall survival rates of patients who received cytoreductive surgery followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy were compared and analyzed against patients who received systemic chemotherapy as treatment. Overall, it was shown that the novel treatment should only be utilized under stringent patient selection processes due to the intensity of the treatment and complications that can arise.”
Washington College Review 