Patient Guide: Surgical Oncology
Peritoneal cancer, sarcoma, HIPEC and recovery, explained without jargon.
For Patients
Information for patients and families
Understanding your diagnosis and treatment options is the first step. We are here to guide you through every stage.
What to Expect
From first consultation to follow-up
- 1
Initial consultation
Review of history, imaging, and pathology.
- 2
Multidisciplinary review
Tumour board with medical oncology, radiology, and pathology.
- 3
Treatment plan
A personalised plan with options, risks, and expected outcomes.
- 4
Surgery & recovery
Preparation, surgery, and enhanced-recovery protocols.
- 5
Follow-up care
Structured surveillance and support after treatment.
Start from your diagnosis
What have you been diagnosed with?
Each page explains the disease in the patient's language, with published results and their sources, and ends by saying when a second opinion is worth seeking.
Peritoneum
Sarcoma
Before deciding
New · A book for patients
Why You and Not Him
Peritoneal carcinomatosis and peritoneal metastases: why one patient is offered surgery and another is not
Published 20 September 202681 pages · Kindle editionForeword by Luis González Bayón
You have been told you have peritoneal carcinomatosis. You searched online and found figures you could not place, from studies with no date on them. This book sorts them out.
In 2003, a patient with peritoneal metastases from colorectal cancer lived a median of twelve months. In 2021, the operable patients in the PRODIGE 7 trial were past forty. None of that existed when the person treating you began training.
Written without compassion and without euphemism, for an adult reader who does not know medicine but does know how to read. Every figure comes from a published study and carries its full citation at the back, so you can check it or take it to your doctor.
What is inside
- What the peritoneum is, and why ordinary chemotherapy arrives there badly.
- Colon, appendix, mesothelioma, ovary, stomach: one disease per chapter, with its figures.
- What HIPEC and PIPAC are, and what they are not.
- The risks, in real numbers.
- What is being tested now, and what is still unknown.
- The questions to take to your appointment.
This is not medical advice and does not replace your team. It exists to make the conversation with your doctor better.
Patient Guides
Patient guides & ebooks
Free EPUB downloads, in Spanish and English.
Understanding Peritoneal Cancer
What the PCI score measures, what cytoreduction involves and what to expect from HIPEC.
Living with Sarcoma
Diagnosis, staging, what an R0 resection means and how follow-up works.
HIPEC Guide
What hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is and what it means for recovery.
Quénet-Torrent Institute
The institute's patient guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is CRS+HIPEC?
Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) removes all visible tumour from the abdomen, followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC): heated chemotherapy that bathes the cavity to destroy microscopic disease.
Am I a candidate for HIPEC?
It depends on the origin and extent of disease, your general condition, and whether a complete cytoreduction is achievable. Evaluation includes imaging and sometimes a diagnostic laparoscopy.
How long is the recovery after CRS+HIPEC?
Hospital stay is usually 10–14 days, with full recovery over 2–3 months. We use enhanced-recovery (ERAS) protocols.
Can I get a second opinion?
Yes. Second opinions are welcome; sending your records and imaging ahead of time allows review before the visit.
Do you see international patients?
Yes. Travel logistics and follow-up are coordinated with your local physician. Online consultations are available.
What should I bring to my first appointment?
Imaging (CT, MRI, or PET), pathology reports, previous operative notes, and a medication list. Digital copies are fine.
Have questions? Book a consultation.
We welcome international patients. Online consultations available.