Aerosolized chemotherapy debuted in Michigan

Henry Ford Health. Large monitor showing aerosolized chemo treatment in process

Traditional chemotherapy is delivered via the bloodstream, making it less effective for metastatic cancers that occur within the peritoneal cavity — such as colorectal, appendiceal, gastric, ovarian and others. Pressurized intraperitoneal aerosolized chemotherapy offers new hope for patients with cancers such as these.

PIPAC is a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. Surgeons make two small incisions in the abdomen and insert a device that delivers chemotherapy that is aerosolized as it enters the body. The drug then attacks tumors in a concentrated, targeted way.

Henry Ford Health offered treatment for advanced cancer in the abdominal cavity before expanding to PIPAC in January. Cancer surgeon Richard Berri, M.D., has vast expertise in heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy and has developed the leading center in the state to offer the procedure.

Berri and team underwent significant training to bring PIPAC to Henry Ford St. John Hospital, now offering even more patients the opportunity to benefit from a therapy that is available at only a few cancer centers around the country.