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Lewis Black was propped up on pillows in his room at 亨茨曼癌症研究所, 和他的妻子, 喀拉海, 和女儿, 米利暗, 14, 和莉莉, 11, 在他身边. He was recovering from an 11-hour surgery to save his life. On the menu were some of Lily’s favorites from The Point restaurant. They would watch a favorite show together later—anything to distract them from the serious nature of Lewis’s cancer.
“Just being together as a family and trying to do the kinds of things that we would normally do during the evening was important,刘易斯说。, an administrative law judge with the Utah Department of Health and Human 服务. “We wanted that sense of normalcy for our girls.”
“Everybody wanted to help but didn't know how, and I didn't know what I needed, either.”
值得还黑
Lewis first worried something was wrong in February 2022 when he inexplicably gained 40 pounds. A CT scan revealed he had stage 4 appendiceal adenocarcinoma, a rare cancer in the lining of the appendix.
“It was a little frightening,刘易斯说. “But I just thought to myself, ‘Okay, well. 现在大发娱乐要做什么? 我该何去何从?’”
他需要的手术是 hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC). During a HIPEC procedure, surgeons put chemo medicine, heated to 109 °F, right into the abdomen. By heating the chemotherapy drug and applying it directly to the cancer cells, doctors believe it helps the chemo work better. For patients with certain advanced cancers that have spread to the lining of the abdomen, HIPEC带来希望.
“It’s not simple surgery,” says 劳拉兰伯特，医学博士, director of the Peritoneal Malignancy Program at 亨茨曼癌症研究所 and professor of surgery at the University of Utah. “It is a complex technical surgery. You have to be dedicated to treating the disease and taking care of the people with it.”
“We tailor the treatment to the individual, their situation with the cancer, 还有他们的目标是什么.”
——劳拉·兰伯特，医学博士
The success rate of the surgery is difficult to pinpoint, 兰伯特说, because cancers of the appendix fall on a spectrum of diseases, and the biology of the tumor determines how well a person will respond to the two-step procedure.
“It’s the combination of removing all the tumors you can see and then putting heated chemotherapy directly into the abdominal cavity to treat any remaining microscopic cancer cells,兰伯特说. “You can use a much higher concentration of the chemotherapy this way than you can if you’re giving it intravenously.”
HIPEC surgery is used to treat a variety of cancers that spread through the abdomen including colon cancer, 卵巢癌, 腹膜间皮瘤, and some gastric and small bowel cancers. The complete recovery time can be lengthy and difficult, about three months.
“It’s a pretty significant recovery, so that’s a huge part of the decision making around who to offer it to,兰伯特说. “We tailor the treatment to the individual, their situation with the cancer, 还有他们的目标是什么, and what their level of risk tolerance is.”
"This was the right thing to do, 在正确的地方做, 而且是合适的人选."
值得还黑
When facing the cancer and the HIPEC surgery, Lewis’ main concern wasn’t for himself, 但对他的家人来说.
“It was very tough,刘易斯说. “It was hard seeing 喀拉海 and the girls react. 我只是不得不面对. But they had to watch me deal with it. Everybody wanted to help but didn't know how, and I didn't know what I needed, either.”
亨茨曼癌症研究所 is one of only a handful of hospitals in the United States offering HIPEC surgery. 这种做法并不新鲜. It’s been in practice since 1980, but only a handful of surgeons are qualified to do it the United States because it requires specialized training and equipment.
“I felt extremely fortunate that 亨茨曼癌症研究所 is right here and they had one of the only people in the state qualified to do it,刘易斯说. “Dr. 兰伯特很棒. 从第一次约会开始, explaining what the procedure would entail and what the risks were, 致后续问题. 我跟她聊得越多, the more comfortable I was that this was the right thing to do, 在正确的地方做, 而且是合适的人选.”
“I gave myself permission to feel sorry for myself for about 10 to 15 minutes every day. And then I just would go on and do what I had to do.”
值得还黑
在手术过程中, Lambert had to remove Lewis’ appendix, 脾, and gallbladder before applying chemotherapy drugs.
The 11-hour surgery was a success. 刘易斯的癌症正在缓解. He is feeling so good that the family recently went on a vacation to San Francisco.
“I have a hard time keeping up with him,” 喀拉海 says. “He just has to have frequent checkups but other than that, cancer seems like a distant memory.”
Lewis says his family, friends, and faith kept him going throughout his treatment.
“During that whole process,” he adds. “I gave myself permission to feel sorry for myself for about 10 to 15 minutes every day. And then I just would go on and do what I had to do.”