Baltimore, MD (November 3, 2006) -- There is new hope for some of the most seriously ill colon cancer patients today, following the release of a consensus statement by 72 leading oncology surgeons from 14 countries, including the United States. The Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Group (PSMG), including doctors from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa; Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington; and St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, has concluded that surgery, followed by heated chemotherapy delivered through the lower abdomen of the patient before leaving the operating room, may significantly increase the life expectancy for patients with Stage IV colorectal cancer.

The heated chemotherapy is designed to help reliably attack any residual cancer cells remaining after surgery. The consensus statement: "Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) in the Management of Peritoneal Surface Malignancies of Colonic Origin", appears on the Web site for the Annals of Surgical Oncology, and can be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.1245/s10434-006-9185-7.

HIPEC involves the use of conventional chemotherapy drugs heated to such a high temperature as to kill cancer cells. Additionally, by bathing the abdomen with heated chemotherapy immediately following surgery, a higher dose of medication can be used than would normally be tolerated by a patient if given intravenously the traditional way chemotherapy is administered. Before releasing today's consensus statement, the PSMG reviewed several peer-reviewed clinical articles published by nationally renowned oncology researchers and surgeons to establish standardized methods to deliver HIPEC; define patient selection criteria; and improve surgical techniques.

In 2005, an estimated 145,000 new cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed in the United States, according to the Amer
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Contact: Chris Finnegan
Chris.Finnegan@hillandknowlton.com
202-944-5121
Weill Cornell Medical College
3-Nov-2006