HIPEC or hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (“hot chemo”) is a treatment method to destroy malignant tumors during surgery. The option is applied for metastatic cancers (stomach, colon, rectal) in the abdomen.
A doctor fills the abdominal cavity with chemo drugs heated up to 40-42°C. The medicines circulate into the abdomen within 1.5 hours. During this period, the drugs affect the rest of the cancer cells and destroy them.
Hot chemotherapy allows delivering the high doses of drugs precisely to malignant cells without damaging healthy ones. The heated drugs almost do not penetrate the blood. That helps to reduce side effects.
What does HIPEC treatment cost depend on?
- Surgery cost. “Heated chemo” is performed 1 time during the surgery. That means surgery price affects HIPEC cost.
- Doctor’s experience. If a doctor has huge experience, academic degrees, his services can be more expensive.
- Country's price policy. Some countries provide low cost for HIPEC according to their price policy. For example, in India HIPEC surgery cost starts from $17,000 and in the USA – from $20,000 to $100,000. The quality of the chemo is at the same high level in both countries. Low costs in India are explained by general country's price policy.
- Hospital brand recognition. Several hospitals have their specific price lists and HIPEC cost varies depending on a hospital’s popularity and medical services it provides.
- Extra charges. Some German medical centers ask for prepayment but if a treatment occurs cheaper, a patient gets the rest of the money back. Additional services as transfer, language assistance, meals are paid separately.
What does HIPEC cost include?
- Surgery prices
- doctors’ fees
- medicines
- hospital stay.
What are the benefits of HIPEC?
- Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy affects damaged tissues locally. It does not penetrate the common bloodstream and does not influence the whole body.
- Such a therapy kills cancer cells with high temperature. The heating damages the membrane and internal structure of malignant cells. It enforces the delivery of chemo to the necessary areas in the abdominal cavity.
- HIPEC drug can penetrate tumor tissue to 3 mm that helps effectively destroy cancer cells.
- A patient gets a dose of HIPEC once during the surgery.
- The combination of surgery and HIPEC therapy is more effective than these both treatments separately.
- This treatment improves the patient’s quality of life. Side effects after HIPEC are mild and not long-term compared to traditional chemotherapy.
When is hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemo indicated?
- tumor removals (helps to reduce the risk of relapses)
- recurrent cancer
- large tumors in the abdomen.
HIPEC has almost no contraindications. Such a method is applied when other options have been ineffective.
What is the cheapest HIPEC treatment cost?
The cheapest HIPEC cost is in India – from $17,000 according to local medical centers’ data. Such a low cost is explained by the price policy of the country, where the population’s income is low as well. Concerning healthcare quality in India, it is at the highest level as in the USA or Germany.
HIPEC for colorectal cancer
After colorectal cancer surgery, specialists use HIPEC for stages 3-4. That helps to increase the survival rate and to make patients live longer. Such a method gave positive results in treatment of colon and rectal cancers.
How to get personalized HIPEC cost?
- Check and compare costs of HIPEC in the clinics listed below.
- Pick the most appropriate place for you.
- Submit a request on our website.
- Bookimed manager will contact you and help to book a medical center for HIPEC.
- Then you will receive a personal price from a chosen clinic.
- Bookimed will arrange your medical trip.
Bookimed services are FREE for patients.