Important Notice: This Research Does Not Apply to Lipogems® Treatment
Andrew J. Hayes, David J. Coker, Lukas Been, Veerle WSM. Boecstaens, Sylvie Bonvalot, Franco De Cian, Luis de la Cruz-Merino, Carlos Duarte, Alexander Eggermont, Victor Farricha, Marco Fiore, Dirk Grünhagen, Robert Grützmann, Charles Honoré, Jens Jakob, Marko Hocevar, Winan van Houdt, Joseph Klauzner, Christoph Kettelhack, Angela Märten, Hector Martinez-Said, Maurice Matter, Audrey Michot, Maya Niethard, Elisabetta Pennacchioli, Lars E. Podleska, Gregorio Rabago, Marco Rastrelli, Sophie Reijers, Matilde Ribeiro, Matthias Schwarzbach, Hayden A. Snow, Miroslav Spacek, Stephan Stoldt, Alessandro Testori, Odysseas Zoras, Roger Olofsson Bagge · European Journal of Surgical Oncology · 2024
Study examines aggressive cancer surgery, not regenerative medicine
This paper by Hayes and colleagues discusses isolated limb perfusion (ILP)—a highly specialized surgical procedure used to deliver high-dose chemotherapy directly to a limb affected by advanced cancer. This technique is completely unrelated to Lipogems® or any regenerative medicine approach.
What isolated limb perfusion actually involves
ILP is a complex surgical procedure performed at specialized cancer centers. During the operation, surgeons temporarily separate the blood flow in an affected arm or leg from the rest of the body. This allows doctors to deliver very high doses of chemotherapy drugs directly to the limb. The isolation prevents these powerful drugs from reaching other organs where they could cause serious harm.
This procedure is reserved for cases of advanced melanoma or sarcoma (a type of bone or soft tissue cancer) when tumors cannot be removed through standard surgery. The goal is often to shrink tumors enough to avoid amputation or to provide relief when the cancer has spread.
Lipogems® serves a different medical purpose entirely
Lipogems® is a regenerative medicine technology that uses your own processed fat tissue. It contains natural healing cells called pericytes and mesenchymal stem cells. This approach is designed for conditions like:
Joint problems such as osteoarthritis
Chronic pain from tissue damage
Wound healing and tissue repair
Lipogems® is not a cancer treatment. It does not involve chemotherapy or any cancer-fighting drugs.
Why this paper was included in your search results
The word "tissue" appears in both contexts—adipose tissue (fat) in Lipogems® and limb tissue in cancer treatment. However, these applications have no clinical overlap. This consensus paper provides surgical guidelines for cancer specialists performing ILP procedures. It does not study, mention, or relate to fat-derived regenerative treatments.
What patients with limb cancer should know
If you have been diagnosed with melanoma or sarcoma in an arm or leg, your treatment options should be discussed with an oncologist (cancer specialist). Regenerative medicine treatments like Lipogems® are not appropriate for treating cancer.
If you have joint pain, arthritis, or other musculoskeletal conditions separate from a cancer diagnosis, Lipogems® may be worth discussing with a qualified provider—but this particular study offers no guidance on that topic.
---
Source: Hayes et al., European Journal of Surgical Oncology, 2024.
Original Publication
Technical considerations for isolated limb perfusion: A consensus paper
Andrew J. Hayes, David J. Coker, Lukas Been, Veerle WSM. Boecstaens, Sylvie Bonvalot, Franco De Cian, Luis de la Cruz-Merino, Carlos Duarte, Alexander Eggermont, Victor Farricha, Marco Fiore, Dirk Grünhagen, Robert Grützmann, Charles Honoré, Jens Jakob, Marko Hocevar, Winan van Houdt, Joseph Klauzner, Christoph Kettelhack, Angela Märten, Hector Martinez-Said, Maurice Matter, Audrey Michot, Maya Niethard, Elisabetta Pennacchioli, Lars E. Podleska, Gregorio Rabago, Marco Rastrelli, Sophie Reijers, Matilde Ribeiro, Matthias Schwarzbach, Hayden A. Snow, Miroslav Spacek, Stephan Stoldt, Alessandro Testori, Odysseas Zoras, Roger Olofsson Bagge · European Journal of Surgical Oncology · 2024
Background: Isolated limb perfusion (ILP) is a well-established surgical procedure for the administration of high dose chemotherapy to a limb for the treatment of advanced extremity malignancy. Although the technique of ILP was first described over 60 years ago, ILP is utilised in relatively few specialist centres, co-located with tertiary or quaternary cancer centres. The combination of high dose cytotoxic chemotherapy and the cytokine tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), mandates leakage monitoring to prevent potentially serious systemic toxicity. Since the procedure is performed at relatively few specialist centres, an ILP working group was formed with the aim of producing technical consensus guidelines for the procedure to streamline practice and to provide guidance for new centres commencing the technique. Methods: Between October 2021 and October 2023 a series of face to face online and hybrid meetings were held in which a modified Delphi process was used to develop a unified consensus document. After each meeting the document was modified and recirculated and then rediscussed at subsequent meeting until a greater than 90% consensus was achieved in all recommendations. Results: The completed consensus document comprised 23 topics in which greater than 90% consensus was achieved, with 83% of recommendations having 100% consensus across all members of the working group. The consensus recommendations covered all areas of the surgical procedure including pre-operative assessment, drug dosing and administration, perfusion parameters, hyperthermia, leakage monitoring and theatre logistics, practical surgical strategies and also post-operative care, response evaluation and staff training. Conclusion: We present the first joint expert-based consensus statement with respect to the technical aspects of ILP that can serve as a reference point for both existing and new centres in providing ILP.