A 60-year-old former nurse from Southampton has been declared free of cancer following hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), a combined surgical and chemotherapy treatment for cancer which has spread within the abdominal cavity. The case, treated at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) and reported by BBC News, adds to the clinical experience supporting HIPEC in ovarian and other abdominal cancers.
What is HIPEC
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) combines cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Surgeons first remove all visible tumour tissue from the peritoneal cavity. Once cytoreduction has been completed, a chemotherapy solution heated to 42°C is circulated through the abdomen for 90 minutes. The heat increases drug penetration into tissue and is intended to eliminate residual microscopic disease that surgical clearance alone cannot reach. The combined procedure can take up to 12 hours, reflecting the extent of the surgical clearance stage and the perfusion period which follows.
From stage four diagnosis to tumour-free
The patient was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer in March, with disease that had spread to the liver and lungs. She responded well to an initial round of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (the treatment which happens before the main surgery), meeting the clinical criteria for HIPEC, including a strong response to earlier treatment and no unresectable disease. Following the procedure, she was confirmed tumour-free, with two further rounds of chemotherapy planned as part of standard follow-up surveillance.
Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer in women in the UK, with over 7,700 new diagnoses each year. Its early symptoms, including persistent bloating, pelvic pain and changes in appetite or urinary frequency, are frequently mistaken for less serious conditions, which contributes to roughly two-thirds of cases being diagnosed at a late stage, when systemic treatment options narrow. The disease causes 3,900 deaths annually in the UK.
What this means for ovarian cancer treatment
UHS established its HIPEC service in 2022 and has since completed 50 procedures, placing it among the most experienced centres offering this treatment in the UK and building the clinical experience base behind cases like this one.
HIPEC is not limited to ovarian cancer. The same principle, combining surgical clearance with targeted, heated chemotherapy to address microscopic disease that surgery alone would miss, is also applied in selected patients with peritoneal spread from bowel and appendix cancers. Patient selection matters: candidates typically need to have responded well to initial chemotherapy and have disease that can be fully cleared surgically rather than HIPEC being offered as a first-line option.
As clinical evidence supporting its use across these patient groups continues to build, more NHS cancer centres are exploring introducing this service.
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Cases like this reflect a pattern seen across oncology more broadly. As a treatment approach moves from a small number of specialist centres towards wider adoption, the clinical evidence supporting it has to expand alongside it. Trial delivery, from feasibility through to phase III what allows a promising approach to move from individual clinical outcomes to an established standard of care backed by regulatory clinical outcomes
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Who is eligible for HIPEC treatment?
HIPEC is generally offered to selected patients with cancer that has spread within the peritoneal cavity who have responded well to initial chemotherapy, including some cases of ovarian, bowel and appendix cancer following multidisciplinary team assessment.
Is HIPEC available on the NHS?
HIPEC is available at a growing number of NHS centres. University Hospital Southampton established its service in 2022 and has completed 50 procedures to date, with more being explored as evidence supporting its use grows.
What is the life expectancy for ovarian cancer patients who undergo HIPEC surgery?
Patients who have cytoreductive surgery combined with HIPEC for ovarian cancer typically live for around 3-7 years on average afterwards, though this varies widely depending on how advanced the cancer was and the patient’s individual health. Research from the Netherlands Cancer Institute found that adding HIPEC to cytoreductive or interval debulking surgery delayed cancer recurrence and extended overall survival by around a year compared with surgery alone.
Can cancer come back after HIPEC surgery?
Yes. HIPEC removes visible tumours and targets microscopic disease, but it does not guarantee a permanent cure. Recurrence risk varies by cancer type and stage and most often occurs within one to three years after surgery, either within the abdomen or elsewhere in the body. Clinicians use the Peritoneal Cancer Index, a score reflecting how much disease was present before surgery, to help estimate individual risk. Higher scores are generally associated with earlier recurrence.
What is the quality of life like after HIPEC surgery?
Quality of life after cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC typically drops in the first few months, with fatigue, pain, and reduced energy common during recovery. Most patients regain 60 to 80% of their normal function by6-8 weeks, with physical wellbeing generally returning to baseline by 3 to 6 months. By 6 to 12 months, many report quality of life matching or exceeding pre-surgery levels, though a small number experience lasting effects such as mild bowel changes and ongoing fatigue.