Our Department of Uro-Oncology at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road is a forerunner in delivering innovative treatment modalities for improving the lives of cancer patients. One such treatment modality practised at Fortis is the HIVEC treatment which has led us to set our footprint in the field of bladder cancer and helps us deliver better health outcomes for patients suffering from bladder cancer.
The urinary bladder is a hollow muscular organ which collects and store urine from kidney before the urine gets excreted by urination. Many are the diseases and conditions that affect the urinary bladder. Amongst all, bladder cancer is the most common. Bladder cancer is an abnormal growth of bladder cells in the inner lining of the bladder. Based on its invasiveness, bladder cancer can be subdivided into two types – invasive bladder cancer and non-invasive or superficial bladder cancer. Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is a kind of bladder cancer that is found only in the tissue that lines the inner surface of the bladder and has not spread deeper into the muscle of the bladder. In simpler terms, non-invasive bladder cancer is confined to the bladder lining where it began and does not spread anywhere outside of the bladder lining. When identified in its nascent stage, this cancer is highly treatable.
The first treatment you have for non-invasive bladder cancer is transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT). During this treatment procedure, the tumour is removed from the bladder using a cystoscope. Even after the successful removal of the tumour, there are chances for the invisibly left behind cancer cells to re-grow over time and form tumours resulting in tumour recurrence. To stop the tumours from reoccurring, your doctor may recommend a chemotherapy treatment using drugs such as Mitomycin-C, Epirubicin or Gemcitabine. This chemotherapy treatment is performed by injecting the drug directly into your bladder through the urethra with the help of a small tube called a catheter. Recent practice has shown that heating the drug while it is inside your bladder (thermo-chemotherapy) kills the residual cancer cells within the bladder more effectively and makes the treatment even more efficacious. That’s the reason in modern times, Hyperthermic Intra-VEsical Chemotherapy (HIVEC) Treatment (thermo-chemotherapy for short) has become the way of treating non-invasive bladder cancer.
Treating a complex condition like bladder cancer requires exceptional insight. Understanding this, our Uro-oncology team at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road, has achieved specialized expertise in HIVEC treatment and offers a comprehensive treatment plan that helps you to fight against the bladder cancer both physically and mentally. Your benefit at Fortis is better health and good peace of mind.
Areas of Care
Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road is leading the way in the treatment of non-invasive bladder cancer by pioneering the new treatment approach, the HIVEC treatment. This treatment method combines the advantages of local hyperthermia with intra-cavitary chemotherapy. It makes use of a small machine called the COMBAT BRS system which is purposefully designed for the delivery of Hyperthermic Intra-Vesical Chemotherapy (HIVEC).
Hyperthermic Intra-Vesical Chemotherapy (HIVEC)
A number of challenges must be overcome before turning HIVEC into a successful treatment for every patient. Being a perfect synergy of compassion and technology, our Uro-Oncology department puts every patient at the centre of an expert team and provides an outstanding level of personalised care to successfully perform HIVEC and treat cancer for the better.
Benefits of HIVEC treatment
- The major benefit of HIVEC treatment is it effectively kills the residual cancer cells and stops cancer re-occurrence. This is because the heat generated during this treatment makes it easier for the chemotherapy drug to get absorbed into the bladder lining, allowing for deeper penetration into the wall of the bladder and better killing of the cancer cells.
- The heat generated during the HIVEC treatment can also boost your body's natural immune system and stimulate them to better identify the cancer cells and kill them.
- The key component of HIVEC treatment, the COMBAT BRS system can be easily integrated into the out-patient clinic, thus ensuring the comfort-ability of the patient whilst maximising treatment outcomes.
- HIVEC treatment is extremely safe and comfortable for the patients. In case, if the temperature or pressure exceeds or falls below the threshold values, this COMBAT BRS system used in this treatment can send acoustic and visible warnings as well as cut off automatically, thus ensuring patient safety and comfort.
- HIVEC treatment carries very minimal side effects compared to other methods. This is because during this treatment the drug is injected into the bladder and not the bloodstream.
