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Surgical oncologist Dr. Armando Sardi is a leader in use of HIPEC for treating abdominal cancers.

More Than 500 From 16 Different States Take Part In First Ever "Heat It To Beat It" Walk To Fight Cancer

More than 560 walkers turned out to take part in the first ever “Heat it to Beat It” Walk, held Sunday, September 19, 2010 at Rash Field in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The walk, a 2.8 mile stroll, began at 10 a.m. along the Inner Harbor Promenade.

The event served to help raise awareness and raise much needed funds for research into the causes and treatment of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis, a form of abdominal cancer.

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.

More than $94,000 was raised, with donations still coming in, greatly eclipsing the walk’s goal of $50,000.

The 562 walkers hailed from 16 different states: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

More than 40 teams raised over $100 each with 20 teams raising $1,000 or more. The largest amount raised by any one team was $7,250.

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 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.