Abacoa & Alton Neighbors - March 2023

6 Abacoa &Alton N E I G H B O R S | M a r c h 2 0 2 3 The most difficult news for any cancer specialist to deliver to a patient is, “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing more that can be done.” Usually, the poor prognosis is associated with difficult-to- treat cancers, especially those that hide and spread deep within the body and abdominal cavity. The suspicious cells and tumors often avoid early detection and can require numerous treatments to slow or halt their progression once they spread. One of those is colorectal cancer, the third most common cause of cancer and second most common cause of cancer death in U.S. among women and men, according to 2023 estimates from the American Cancer Society. In about one-third of patients diagnosed with colon cancer, the tumor will spread throughout the abdomen. Survival for this condition, known as peritoneal metastasis, is only 6-12 months. At Jupiter Medical Center, board-certified, fellowship- trained surgical oncologists offer a two-phase treatment to carefully screened patients who are battling late-stage colorectal and other abdominal cancers. • CRS, or cytoreductive surgery, which is labor-intensive, traditional surgery that methodically removes all visible cancerous tissue within the abdominal cavity • It is followed immediately by hyperthermic (heated) intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), during which cancer specialists flood the open abdomen with heated cancer-fighting medicines to destroy remaining cells; heating the medications increases their absorption and minimizes side effects. The medications are then washed from the body and the surgical incision is closed. ENHANCED SURVIVAL RATES, QUALITY OF LIFE “Ultimately, what matters to the patient with an advanced cancer diagnosis is increasing their survival rate while preserving quality of life,” says Shanel Bhagwandin, DO, FACS, a board-certified, fellowship-trained surgical oncologist who serves as medical director of Jupiter’s Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology Program and program director of its National Pancreas Foundation-designated Center of Excellence for Pancreatic Cancer. “Quality of life has to be an important component, especially if a patient faces being on chemotherapy for the rest of their life,” he explains. “The aggressive combination of surgery and chemotherapy to treat and remove all of the cancerous cells is like ‘re-setting the clock’ of a chronic disease. We remove all the cancer and optimistically watch and wait, but we give patients intervals of a high quality of life, allowing them to return treatment-free to their daily life for as long as possible.” HIPEC, he points out, can offer an improved 5-year survival rate for patients with advanced cancer of the colon, appendix, stomach, and ovaries. Most insurance plans cover the treatment, which typically is available in the U.S. only at comprehensive cancer programs. “What’s really remarkable is the hope that comes with this procedure. No one wants to undergo surgery, but when you’ve been fighting cancer for a long time with limited options, it’s a very powerful option to then be cancer-free,” says Dr. Bhagwandin. “You can’t necessarily win against the biology of cancer, but with this approach, we can give patients more time with their family rather than being on EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR JUPITER MEDICAL CENTER EXPERTS Offer Hope for Advanced Colorectal Cancer Submitted by Beth Motschenbacher Creating safer spaces for all. Except pathogens. Pūrgo by AeroClean ™ makes indoor spaces safer by eliminating airborne pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and fungi, so life never stops and we can all start breathing a little easier. Learnmore at AeroClean.com A local PalmBeach Gardens company