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Surgical oncologist Dr. Armando Sardi, Director, Institute for Cancer Care at Mercy

First Annual "Heat It To Beat It" Walk To Raise Funds For Cancer Research To Be Held Sept. 19th At Rash Field

The “Heat it to Beat It” Walk will be held on Sunday, September 19, 2010 at Rash Field in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Registration at 9 a.m. and walk begins at 10 a.m., a 2.8 mile stroll along the Inner Harbor Promenade. Cost is $30 to participate; children ages 12 and under walk free. Performance t-shirts will be awarded to walkers raising a minimum of $100. Register to walk individually, or create your own team. Support of “Heat It To Beat It” will help raise awareness and much needed funds for research into the causes and treatment of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis.. Individuals and teams raising the most money will receive special recognition and thanks at the event. To register, go to www.firstgiving.com/heatit.

The name of the walk, "Heat It to Beat It," comes from the use of HIPEC or hyperthermic (heated) intraperitoneal chemotherapy for the treatment of abdominal cancers. Mercy Medical Center surgical oncologist Dr. Armando Sardi, Director, Institute for Cancer Care at Mercy, is a nationally recognized leader in this form of cancer treatment; Dr.Sardi serves on the “Heat it to Beat It” steering committee.

"Peritoneal Carcinomatosis is a common and complex presentation of a variety of cancers of the abdominal cavity. The cause of this cancer may original from tumors of the appendix, colon, rectum, ovary, stomach, small bowel and from primary peritoneal tumors and mesothelioma. The majority of patients will die as a consequence of this disease," Dr. Sardi said.

According to Dr. Sardi, the HIPEC treatment, in conjunction with cytoreductive surgery (tumor removal) is the only possibility of long term survival for many patients.

"Though there have been a number scientific reports showing the benefit of this treatment, many physicians are still not aware of its efficacy and most insurance companies deny payment for it," Dr. Sardi added.

Proceeds from the "Heat It to Beat It" walk will support research conducted by Dr. Sardi and his colleagues at Mercy Medical center, whose work helps provide scientifically proven treatments for patients with Peritoneal Carcinomatosis world-wide.