So I'm stage II peritoneal and my oncologist at Cleveland Clinic mentioned HIPEC but wants me to consult with a surgeon who specializes in this. Problem is I don't know what questions to ask or how to tell if someone actually knows what they're doing versus just doing the procedure.
I worked at the Johns-Manville plant in Cleveland from 1978 to 1985 and got diagnosed in November, so I'm trying to move fast but not stupid. I've been reading some of the cytoreduction and HIPEC outcome data and the survival numbers seem to vary wildly depending on who's doing it.
Has anyone here actually gone through picking a surgeon for this? Like what made you confident in your choice. Did you go to a major center like Mayo or MD Anderson or did you find someone local who was good. I'm trying to figure out if volume really matters that much or if that's just something people say.
Also what specific questions did you ask about their complication rates and their HIPEC protocol. My symptom journal from the past few months shows the abdominal distension got worse in October, and I want someone who's going to actually look at my specifics not just run the standard playbook.
I've got a consultation scheduled at a place in Detroit but I'm not sure what I'm even looking for in terms of red flags or green flags.