Dr. Martin D. Goodman

Goodman specializes in the aggressive combination of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, which has been highly successful with his patients.

Goodman is one of a small number of surgical oncologists in America with extensive experience in surgery and HIPEC treatment, used for a number of abdominal malignancies.

“The risks can be higher than with a lot of other procedures, but the benefits are much greater,” Goodman said. “Instead of using standard chemotherapy, where the life expectancy is one to two years, patients are out there three, four, seven years and beyond. We’ve got a lot of patients like that.”

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An Aggressive Combination

The combination of surgery and HIPEC for peritoneal mesothelioma can last anywhere from eight to 12 hours, depending upon the tumor burden.

The surgeon first removes all visible tumor throughout the abdominal cavity, an especially detailed procedure.

Immediately following the surgery, the HIPEC begins and a heated chemotherapy solution is pumped into the abdomen and circulated for 90 minutes throughout the cavity.

The solution is designed to kill the microscopic tumor cells that may have evaded the surgeon.

Unlike conventional chemotherapy, given intravenously, there are fewer side effects because very little is absorbed before it is removed.

Goodman estimated he has done the procedure more than 300 times for various abdominal malignancies, including appendiceal and ovarian cancers.

“Using the HIPEC definitely prolongs the time interval before the tumor might recur. And in some cases, it can cure a cancer which was once incurable,” he said. “Our results, we feel, have been excellent. At Tufts, we have experience. We know what problems to expect, and we know how to take care of complications. That’s where experience comes into play.”

Using the Team Approach

Goodman’s surgical team was recognized recently with the “Tufts MC True Blue Award,” given annually at the medical center to those showing extra care for their patients.

He also was recognized by U.S. News & World Report for being ranked among the top 1% of surgeons in the U.S.

As director of the Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Program at Tufts, Goodman is aiding in research being done to make the HIPEC procedure safer and more effective.

He also handles appendix cancer, colon and rectal cancers, gastric cancer and ovarian cancer, along with pseudomyxoma peritonei.

He is trained in minimally invasive surgery for select abdominal malignancies.

Goodman earned his degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Rutgers University. He trained at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.