PIPAC stands for Pressurised Intra Peritoneal Aerosolised Chemotherapy, and it is a treatment we offer to patients whose cancer has spread to their abdomen who, until recently, could only be offered palliative treatment
PIPAC is a minimally invasive procedure, which is why it is very well tolerated by patients.
With laparoscopic surgery under general anaesthesia, we access the abdomen making 2 or 3 incisions of approximately one cm. These tiny incisions are sufficient to:
Thanks to the latest advances in medical research, at Viamed’s Institute of Advanced Surgical Oncology, we offer a new therapeutic approach that is effective, less harmful, and preserves the patient’s quality of life. Pressurised IntraPeritoneal Aerosolised Chemotherapy (PIPAC) allows chemotherapy to be administered in a minimally invasive way directly into the abdominal cavity.
Although PIPAC is a new treatment option, it is NOT an experimental treatment. More than 2,000 procedures have already been carried out in specialist European centres with promising results. The tumour response rate and slowing of tumour progression have been demonstrated, and prolongation of survival seems likely in patients who have benefited from this new procedure. Fortunately, this minimally invasive procedure is associated with a low level of side effects and acceptable surgical risks.
Following multidisciplinary discussion and the evaluation of alternatives in a personalised way for each patient, the team of professionals at IVOQA offers treatment with PIPAC.
It is a curative treatment for patients with advanced cancer that has spread to the peritoneum. This is known as peritoneal carcinomatosis or peritoneal metastases.
The primary tumour may be located:
PIPAC offers very promising results in slowing disease progression, reducing symptoms, and prolonging life.
Approximately 16% of patients treated with PIPAC have such a significant response that they may end up being treated with surgery and HIPEC.
The percentage of patients with very advanced disease in the peritoneum, who are not eligible for HIPEC due to advanced nature of the cancer and its resistance to chemotherapy in which we obtain a response is
Up to 88% in ovarian cancer
(el año pasado se reportó por primera vez una supervivencia de 21 meses para los pacientes con cáncer gástrico avanzado a peritoneo tratados con PIPAC, algo que nunca se ha logrado antes con ningún otro tratamiento, quimioterapia ni inmunoterapia)
(supervivencia media de 16 meses)
(supervivencia media de 27 meses)
Due to their experience and number of cases treated, both in Spain and abroad, the IVOQA team are leading professionals in the PIPAC procedure. Dr. Delia Cortés Güiral has been certified to perform PIPAC since 2016, is a member of the PIPAC international instructor team and has trained many surgeons from around the world through official PIPAC courses in different countries (Singapore, UAE, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, France, Israel…) both face-to-face and online.
Both she and her team offer high-level care to patients worldwide with carcinomatosis or peritoneal metastases. Dr. Cortés directs the first and only international course in the treatment of peritoneal disease using minimally invasive techniques: laparoscopic peritonectomy, laparoscopic HIPEC, PIPAC (organised within the official courses of the European Society of Surgical Oncology – ESSO)
She is a board member of the European Society of Surgical Oncology(ESSO), the Spanish Society of Surgical Oncology (SEOQ), a member of the communication committee of the International Society for the Study of Pleura and Peritoneum (ISSPP), a member of the European Cancer Organization (ECO) Committee on Cancer Prevention, secretary of the FESEO (Spanish Federation of Oncology Societies) and she is also very actively involved in disseminating information on peritoneal disease to patients and professionals through social media. She has contributed to numerous international publications on PIPAC, international consensus meetings on PIPAC, has given numerous lectures on PIPAC and conferences around the world and for different patient programmes and associations.
If you want to know more about the team, visit our section.
Do not hesitate to request an appointment with our specialists
We currently recommend 3 PIPAC sessions, one every 6 weeks, if possible having two cycles of systemic chemotherapy between each PIPAC.
There are also patients in special situations or who do not tolerate intravenous chemotherapy, in which case they are only treated with PIPAC with different frequencies.
All patients who benefit from this new procedure are registered in an international database for their safety and benefit from highly structured post-operative follow-ups. The personal data collected will be processed in a strictly confidential manner and will be anonymised.
All interventions come with possible adverse effects. In the case of PIPAC, they are