Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses specialized drugs either to kill cancer cells or to help manage side effects of cancer.
Appendix Cancer
IU Health physicians have the expertise and advanced skills necessary to treat this rare form of cancer
Appendix cancer is a rare cancer diagnosed in less than 1,000 patients in the United States each year with no known risk factors. Symptoms may include abdominal pain and nausea.
At IU Health, you can trust that your physicians have the expertise and advanced skills necessary to treat appendix cancer.
In most cases, physicians diagnose appendix cancer when they perform an appendectomy. If your physician diagnoses appendix cancer, you will need imaging tests to see if the cancer has spread from your appendix to other parts of your body.
You may also need additional surgery to remove the lymph nodes and the part of your colon closest to your appendix.
Understanding Appendix Cancer
In most cases, physicians diagnose appendix cancer when they perform an appendectomy. If your physician diagnoses appendix cancer, you will need imaging tests to see if the cancer has spread from your appendix to other parts of your body.
You may also need additional surgery to remove the lymph nodes and the part of your colon closest to your appendix.
At IU Health, your physicians use the latest technologies and treatments to help you manage cancer. Your physicians will deliver your care using a team approach. Your cancer care team may include:
- Surgical oncologists
- Medical oncologists
- Radiation oncologists
- Radiologists
- Pathologists
- Social workers
- Chaplains
Together, your team will develop a personalized plan to help you through treatment and recovery. Your team will take time to help you understand each step of your care and what you can expect during treatment and beyond. Your treatment plan may include:
- Surgery. Surgery will remove the appendix, surrounding lymph nodes and the part of the colon affected by appendix cancer. Most patients undergo surgery as the first step in their treatment. Depending on the stage of your cancer, you may not need lymph nodes or part of the colon removed.
- Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses special medicines to destroy cancer cells. In appendix cancer patients at later stages, your physicians typically use systemic chemotherapy (chemotherapy that affects the whole body).
- Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Physicians at IU Health Simon Cancer Center use HIPEC, a specialized type of chemotherapy available in less than 100 hospitals in the United States. During this procedure, you receive chemotherapy medicines directly in your abdominal cavity. Your surgeon first heats your abdomen to a high temperature and then ensures the medicines reach all parts of your abdominal cavity. This effective chemotherapy destroys any cancer cells that have spread from your appendix to other parts of your abdominal cavity.
What are Treatment Options for Appendix Cancer?
At IU Health, your physicians use the latest technologies and treatments to help you manage cancer. Your physicians will deliver your care using a team approach. Your cancer care team may include:
- Surgical oncologists
- Medical oncologists
- Radiation oncologists
- Radiologists
- Pathologists
- Social workers
- Chaplains
Together, your team will develop a personalized plan to help you through treatment and recovery. Your team will take time to help you understand each step of your care and what you can expect during treatment and beyond. Your treatment plan may include:
- Surgery. Surgery will remove the appendix, surrounding lymph nodes and the part of the colon affected by appendix cancer. Most patients undergo surgery as the first step in their treatment. Depending on the stage of your cancer, you may not need lymph nodes or part of the colon removed.
- Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses special medicines to destroy cancer cells. In appendix cancer patients at later stages, your physicians typically use systemic chemotherapy (chemotherapy that affects the whole body).
- Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Physicians at IU Health Simon Cancer Center use HIPEC, a specialized type of chemotherapy available in less than 100 hospitals in the United States. During this procedure, you receive chemotherapy medicines directly in your abdominal cavity. Your surgeon first heats your abdomen to a high temperature and then ensures the medicines reach all parts of your abdominal cavity. This effective chemotherapy destroys any cancer cells that have spread from your appendix to other parts of your abdominal cavity.
Physicians at IU Health conduct advanced research to help determine cancer’s causes and its best treatments. At our tissue bank, we collect and study samples of many types of cancer, searching for genetic factors that may cause it. We also use these samples to determine which treatments work most effectively for different types of cancer. We strive to remain on the forefront of cancer research so we can provide patients with the latest treatments and high-quality care.
Research
Physicians at IU Health conduct advanced research to help determine cancer’s causes and its best treatments. At our tissue bank, we collect and study samples of many types of cancer, searching for genetic factors that may cause it. We also use these samples to determine which treatments work most effectively for different types of cancer. We strive to remain on the forefront of cancer research so we can provide patients with the latest treatments and high-quality care.
