As Regional One Health continues to grow and strengthen its cancer program, national leader and expert in liver, pancreatic, and hepatobiliary cancers, Evan Glazer, MD, a

surgical oncologist with Regional One Health Cancer Care and associate professor of surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center now performs hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy or HIPEC. HIPEC is an aggressive therapy that specifically targets abdominal cancers with fewer side effects of traditional chemotherapy. With his expertise with abdominal cancers, Dr. Glazer offers patients who receive this therapy new hope.

“Having a multidisciplinary team of experts with advanced experience and training who can offer leading-edge treatment options such as HIPEC is the result of the strong partnership between the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Regional One Health,” said Dr. Glazer. “I am very proud we can offer such advanced care for patients so they can receive care a little closer to home. Because these kinds of treatments require a team of experts, without my UTHSC colleagues, we could

not offer them. It truly is a personalized team caring for every single patient.”

Dr. Glazer and his team provide comprehensive, high-level care to treat challenging abdominal tumors in patients like Nathan McCormack of Dyersburg. His complex cancer treatment required HIPEC.

McCormack’s medical oncologist recommended he travel to Memphis for treatment specifically with Evan Glazer and his team. McCormack was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasms or LAMN in which patients often do not have any symptoms.

“It was a shock,” said McCormack. “I had no pain. I wasn’t sick. I went to work every day, and I went to church every night to preach.”

This type of cancer spreads and grows inside the abdominal cavity, or peritoneal cavity, which includes the stomach, intestines, bladder, liver, and in women, the uterus and ovaries. Instead of growing into one of these organs, the tumors grow around them.

“You have cancer cells growing in what is essentially a water balloon. We make an incision and remove the cancer cells that are living on top of the organs inside the cavity,” explained Evan Glazer.

HIPEC is then used to treat the remaining microscopic cancer cells that cannot be surgically removed. Immediately after removing visible cancerous tumors, surgeons pump a powerful dose of heated 108-degree chemotherapy inside the patient’s abdomen. By rocking the patient back and forth, surgeons help the chemo bath circulate and reach all areas of the abdomen, also called the peritoneal cavity, delivering a highly concentrated dose of hot chemotherapy. This targeted approach helps reduce the side effects of chemotherapy as it kills any residual cancer cells. After about 90 minutes, the chemotherapy is washed out and incisions are closed.

“He had surgery on a Thursday, and he went home the next Thursday. That Sunday he was in Sunday School,” said McCormack’s wife Brenda.

McCormack will continue to see Dr. Glazer to keep a watch for any new signs of cancer, but otherwise he isn’t expected to need ongoing treatment.

”We trusted in God, and with God and Dr. Glazer’s help, he made it through it,” said Brenda.

In addition to treating patients, Dr. Glazer focuses on research to study liver, pancreatic, and hepatobiliary cancers in an effort to advance and discover new treatments, extend survival rate, and hopefully one day find a cure.