PIPAC (Pressurised Intraperitoneal Aerosol Chemotherapy)

PIPAC, short for pressurised intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy, is a minimally invasive way of delivering chemotherapy directly into the abdomen as a fine, pressurised mist. It is used for cancer that has spread across the peritoneum, the thin membrane that lines the abdominal cavity, when the disease cannot be fully removed by surgery. Through two small keyhole openings, surgeons spray a low dose of aerosolised chemotherapy under gas pressure so the medicine settles evenly over every surface and penetrates the tumour deposits more deeply than a liquid wash. Because it is gentle and keyhole-based, PIPAC can be repeated every few weeks, and each session also lets the team look inside and judge how the cancer is responding. For many people with advanced peritoneal disease, it offers a way to control symptoms and slow the cancer while keeping side effects low, and it is increasingly sought at specialised centres abroad.