63-year-old woman with rare cancer of abdomen successfully treated through CRS HIPEC Surgery at Fortis Mohali
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— CRS HIPEC: Fortis Mohali launches Department of Peritoneal Surface oncology Unit, the first and only dedicated unit in the region —
Shimla, 16 June, 2026: The Department of Surgical Oncology, Fortis Cancer Institute at Fortis Hospital Mohali, has achieved yet another medical feat by successfully treating a 63-year-old woman suffering from Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP) cancer through Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC Surgery). The case attains significance as PMP cancer is an extremely rare one with an incidence rate of approximately 1-2 per million a year.
The team of doctors led by Dr Jitender Rohila, Senior Consultant, GI Surgical Oncology and Robotic surgeon, Fortis Hospital Mohali, treated the Patient through CRS HIPEC recently. CRS HIPEC has been established as the gold standard surgical treatment for PMP cancer. It is a combination of complex surgery and intraabdominal chemotherapy to eradicate advanced abdominal tumors.
PMP is a cancer of the abdomen that originates in the appendix and causes production of mucin, a jelly-like substance in the peritoneum (inner lining of abdomen). This causes extreme abdominal distension – bloating due to excessive jelly like fluid accumulation – and affects all the abdominal organs including intestines. Such patients also exhibit abdominal pain, loss of weight or appetite and sometimes, intestinal obstruction.
The Patient had severe abdominal swelling, changes in bowel habits and loss of appetite. The CT scan was done outside which revealed a mucinous tumor with origin from appendix. Unable to get relief, she finally approached Dr Rohila at Fortis Mohali where medical examinations and the PET-CT scan showed mucinous ascites (jelly-like substance in the abdomen) in close relation to appendix and tumor deposits in pelvis and upper abdominal cavity, suggestive of PMP cancer.
Following discussions with the Tumour Board, Dr Rohila conducted CRS and HIPEC Surgery on the Patient. Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS) includes surgical removal of all disease from the abdomen while HIPEC Surgery involves administering heated chemotherapy in the abdomen inside the operation theatre after ensuring complete CRS.
Discussing the case, Dr Rohila, said, “It was a complex surgery which included bowel resection and removal of the tumour from the liver and intestines. The complete cytoreduction took around 9 hours. After the tumour was removed, HIPEC was performed for 90 minutes. The Patient had a smooth post-operative recovery and was discharged 10 days after the surgery. She has recovered completely and leading a normal life today.”
Explaining the CRS HIPEC procedure, Dr Rohila, said, “CRS HIPEC is used to treat cancers which have spread to the peritoneum from cancers of appendix, large intestine (colon & rectum), stomach, ovary or the cancers that develop from the peritoneum like pseudomyxoma peritonei, malignant peritoneal mesothelioma and primary peritoneal cancers. CRS HIPEC is a major surgical procedure and requires team of experienced surgical oncologist trained at high volume centers and a dedicated intensive care (ICU) support to manage post-operative complications and ensure smooth postoperative recovery.”
Dr Rohila further added, “Fortis Mohali has the first and only dedicated peritoneal surface oncology department in the region with Surgeons trained internationally in HIPEC and PIPAC surgeries, with the best in class infrastructure including internationally certified HIPEC and PIPAC machines delivery systems & advanced intensive care unit (ICU), multidisciplinary oncology team and oncopathologists.”
