AIIMS Jammu offers new hope to cancer patients by performing HIPEC surgeries

Jammu, Mar 19: The Department of Surgical Oncology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jammu has successfully performed two advanced Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) procedures, marking a major leap forward in complex oncological surgery within the government healthcare system.

The surgeries were led by Dr Paras Khanna, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology, with critical intraoperative support provided by Dr Raksha Kundal, Associate Professor, Department of Anaesthesia, and her team.

The two patients from Doda and Muthi, Jammu, according to doctors, have been discharged and have now initiated their further systemic treatment.

“This achievement marked a significant advancement in delivering highly specialised and resource-intensive cancer treatment within the public healthcare system and thus making AIIMS Jammu as the only government centre in the region, currently offering HIPEC,” they stated.

Dr Paras Khanna explained that HIPEC is an advanced treatment used for select abdominal cancers that spread within the peritoneal cavity, such as ovarian, colorectal, gastric, appendiceal cancers, and pseudomyxoma peritonei.

The procedure is typically performed in two stages during the same surgery. In the first stage of Cytoreductive Surgery (CRS), onco-surgeons first remove all visible tumour deposits from the abdominal cavity.

In the second stage i.e., Heated Chemotherapy Bath, a heated chemotherapy solution is then circulated inside the abdomen for 60–90 minutes. The heat enhances drug penetration and effectiveness while limiting systemic side effects.

Unlike conventional chemotherapy, HIPEC delivers high concentrations of chemotherapy directly to the tumour site, improving outcomes in carefully selected patients.

HIPEC procedures are among the most complex and long-duration oncological surgeries and require seamless coordination between surgical oncology, anaesthesia, critical care and perioperative nursing teams.

“The success of these cases reflects the growing multidisciplinary strength of AIIMS Jammu. Until now, patients from Jammu and surrounding regions often had to travel to metropolitan cities for HIPEC, incurring significant financial and emotional burden. The availability of this treatment at AIIMS Jammu represents improved access to advanced cancer care in the public sector; reduced need for out-of-state referrals,” he said.

According to Dr Khanna, it also brought financial relief for economically vulnerable patients besides strengthening of tertiary oncology services in North India.

Dr Sunaina Gupta, Additional Professor and officiating Head, Department of Anaesthesia, highlighted that meticulous preoperative optimisation along with comprehensive perioperative critical care played a key role in ensuring successful outcomes in such complex procedures. She congratulated the ICU staff, residents, and consultants for their dedicated efforts and seamless teamwork.

Prof (Dr) D N Sharma, Executive Director and CEO, AIIMS Jammu, said it was heartening to witness the Surgical Oncology and Anaesthesia teams successfully performing such complex HIPEC procedures, expanding the frontiers of cancer care. He further underscored the fact that HIPEC was not suitable for all cancers and required strict patient selection.

“When carefully selected, it can significantly improve survival and quality of life compared to conventional treatment alone,” he stated.

Prof (Dr) D N Sharma noted that the surgeries were completed within a short span, reflecting the efficiency and expertise of the multidisciplinary team and added that the availability of such advanced procedures underscores AIIMS Jammu’s commitment to delivering comprehensive cancer care.

“The successful execution of these initial cases signals AIIMS Jammu’s readiness to expand advanced oncological services and establish itself as a regional referral hub for complex cancer care. With continued multidisciplinary collaboration and infrastructure development, AIIMS Jammu is steadily advancing toward delivering cutting-edge cancer treatment closer to home for patients across Jammu, Kashmir, and neighbouring regions,” he said.