The year I turned 50, my life took an unexpected turn. First, I had to have emergency surgery after a CT scan for severe abdominal pain revealed what appeared to be late-stage ovarian cancer. 

Next, I found out it was a rare type of appendix cancer called low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN), and that it had already spread to my ovaries.  

Finally, I learned that the only real treatment for it — aside from surgically removing all visible traces of it — was hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC).  

Before that day, I don’t think I even realized that appendix cancer could be a thing. I’d certainly never heard of HIPEC. But when I found out it was a complicated surgery that involves filling the abdominal cavity with heated chemotherapy and then kind of swishing it around, I knew I needed to get treated someplace with a lot of experience. 

Why regular chemotherapy wouldn’t work for me

I asked my local doctor in Mississippi why I couldn’t just do regular chemotherapy. Frankly, HIPEC sounded like something out of a science fiction movie.  

My surgeon explained that this type of appendix cancer spreads through a gelatinous substance that seeps between the organs. She’d already removed about a liter of it from my abdominal cavity during the emergency surgery, along with my appendix, uterus, ovaries and some of my colon.  

The cancer had been on my organs, my oncologist added, not in them. So, traditional chemo wouldn’t do any good. That’s why HIPEC really was the best — and only — option.  

MD Anderson’s expertise gave me confidence

I was surprised to learn just how unusual this type of appendix cancer is. It only affects about 1 or 2 people per million each year. With something this rare, I knew it was important to seek out the experts. I called MD Anderson. 

I’d already read on MD Anderson’s website that its doctors perform more than 100 HIPEC surgeries each year. Once I met with surgical oncologist Dr. Keith Fournier, though, I felt even more comfortable. He looked at my scans, explained the process and said he felt very confident he could do it. 

Dr. Fournier made this unusual procedure seem like something routine. He didn’t seem worried about it at all. And, he’s an expert in both this disease AND this procedure. That made me not worry about it. 

Looking to the future with optimism

Dr. Fournier performed my HIPEC surgery on Nov. 22, 2024. It took about 11 hours because he also removed my gall bladder, spleen, peritoneal lining and a little more of my colon. I spent 10 days in the hospital recovering.  

It’s been seven months now since my surgery, and I feel so much better. I was really tired when I first left the hospital, though. I remember thinking, “Is it always going to be like this?” I was sleeping so much that I started worrying it was abnormal. But nine weeks later, my energy was back up, and I was able to return to work as a middle school English Language Arts coach.

I’ll need to have scans every six months for a couple of years to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned, and then yearly after that. My next scan is in June, and I hope to show no evidence of disease. But every day, I feel a little better.  So, I am optimistic about the future.  

That’s why I tell everyone to go to MD Anderson. When you first hear the word “cancer,” call MD Anderson. It runs like a well-oiled machine. And everyone there is so knowledgeable. 

Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.