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Karen Woodward, a 70-year-old retiree and grandmother of six, had a scary surprise following a hip replacement two years ago. After her surgery, she felt unwell and returned to her doctor, who ordered an MRI and found a large pelvic mass.

Woodward feared the worst, and more testing revealed that there was a very large tumor—more than 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter—leaning on her uterus. She had been healthy prior to the mass and now feared the worst.

Woodward connected with her gynecologic oncologist, Edward A. Jimenez, MD, director of gynecologic oncology at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, who put his hand on her arm and said, “We’re going to take care of this for you. You are strong.” According to Woodward, the confidence and comfort he provided made a world of difference. She quickly got a radical hysterectomy and was ultimately diagnosed with a low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm (LAMN).

LAMNs, tumors that arise from the appendix, are unique in that they do not spread in the typical fashion to other organs or lymph nodes. Instead, LAMNs may spread throughout the abdomen and create a condition known as pseudomyxoma peritonei, a condition caused by cancerous cells producing mucin that can eventually fill the abdominal cavity and impede organ functions and digestion.

Woodward and her family were able to breathe a sigh of relief learning that this tumor had more favorable outcomes. With this news, Woodward went back into the operating room with Zachary Brown, DO, a and co-director of surgical academic administration at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, to clear out residual disease and undergo a chemotherapy perfusion directly into the abdomen. The procedure, known as HIPEC (hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy), is done to help keep the tumor from returning.

HIPEC is a specialized procedure that is offered for patients at the Long Island and Manhattan locations of NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center. It is used for primary cancers of the lining of the abdominal wall (mesothelioma), as well as tumors that have spread throughout the abdomen. Since arriving at NYU Langone in 2023, Dr. Brown has focused on increasing access to this procedure, nearly doubling the number of HIPEC procedures performed and training providers in its use.

Now, Woodward is feeling great and is thankful to be alive and able to spend time with her family, young grandchildren, and friends. Now disease-free, she has no lingering effects, is active, and credits her surgeons’ and oncologists’ positive attitudes with helping her go through treatment and recovery so smoothly. She says, “It sounds corny, but it gives me more of an appreciation for health and life.”

Woodward’s story is an example of the interconnected network of specialists available at NYU Langone Health. From primary care and �Dz����ٱ�ٰ�������–g��Ա𳦴DZ��Dz��� to cancer care, experts across the institution collaborate with one another to provide the world-class care that patients like Woodward need.

���ѵ��� NYU Langone Health

NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone number one out of 115 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation for three years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently ranked four of its clinical specialties number one in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across 7 inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. With $14.2 billion in revenue this year, the system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise.