HIPEC surgery, also known as heated or hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, is the process of heating chemotherapy drugs and delivering them into the abdominal cavity. This treatment is often combined with cytoreductive surgery and is an effective approach for peritoneal mesothelioma.

During the HIPEC procedure, the surgeon will continuously circulate a heated sterile solution–containing a chemotherapeutic agent–throughout the peritoneal cavity, for a maximum of two hours. The HIPEC procedure is designed to attempt to kill any remaining cancer cells.

The procedure also improves drug absorption and effect with minimal exposure to the rest of the body. In this way, the normal side effects of chemotherapy can be avoided.