About Us
Advancing Peritoneal Oncology in Atlantic Canada
The Atlantic Peritoneal Oncology Program provides world-class, evidence-based care to patients from Atlantic Canada with benign and malignant conditions of the peritoneal cavity. The program is a multidisciplinary group of physicians and allied health professionals based primarily at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Care is delivered in a hub-and-spoke manner with secondary hubs in New Brunswick (Dr. Jenny Lim) and Newfoundland and Labrador (Dr. Alex Mathiesan). Cytoreductive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy is provided at the QEII in Halifax by Dr. Carman Giacomantonio and Dr. Gregory Knapp. The program is an active participant in the Canadian HIPEC Collaborative and has an active research program.
Our Story
The operative management of gastrointestinal and primary peritoneal malignancy (e.g. mesothelioma) has been offered by Dr. Carman Giacomantonio and Dr. Geoff Porter at the QEII Health Sciences Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia since 2002. In 2020, Dr. Gregory Knapp joined the team and spear headed a reorganization of the peritoneal program, including development of a new physician and patient-oriented website, central referral and prospective data collection. The program provides care for a catchment population of 2.4 million, including the provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. From 2010-2020 the program provided 30-50 cytoreductive surgeries a year, making the program one of the highest volume centres in Canada. In 2022, the program was rebranded as the Atlantic Peritoneal Oncology Program and launched an innovative 12-month Peritoneal Oncology Fellowship.