Ascension Saint Thomas is pleased to announce that Dr. Jason Barnett and Dr. Michael Stany have become the first gynecological oncologists in Tennessee to perform a type of chemotherapy treatment known as Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) or "hot chemotherapy." 

Research suggests that heating a standard dose of chemotherapy and applying directly to the abdomen during surgery increases penetration of the cancerous tissues. Though HIPEC has more frequently been used by surgical oncologists to manage cancers of the abdomen, Drs. Barnett and Stany made state history by employing this technique on February 17 at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown in the treatment of an ovarian cancer patient. 

In this particular case, the patient first completed traditional chemotherapy treatments before heated chemo was applied at the time of "debulking," or surgical removal of the cancerous tumors. The surgery took approximately 6 hours. Additional rounds of traditional chemotherapy will follow. The patient, a Middle Tennessee resident, has returned home and is recovering well. 

"Any time a treatment is new, there is a learning curve. Dr. Stany and I are excited about this innovative use of HIPEC and we feel optimistic about its potential for life-saving application in ovarian cancer patients," said Dr. Jason Barnett.