Ahmedabad:: A joint team of surgeons from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and the U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre has successfully performed a rare and highly complex eight-hour operation to remove kidney cancer that had spread into a patient's heart, saving the life of a 50-year-old woman.
The patient, identified as Hansaben, was diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in her left kidney.
Further examinations revealed that the cancer had formed a tumour thrombus, a mass extending through the renal vein into the inferior vena cava (IVC), the body's largest vein carrying deoxygenated blood to the heart, and had reached the right atrium.
Doctors said such cases are uncommon and among the most challenging to treat surgically.
Following multidisciplinary planning involving specialists from different departments, surgeons from the Department of Urology at Civil Hospital and the Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) Department at the U.N. Mehta Institute carried out the operation over approximately eight hours.
The procedure involved removing the cancerous kidney as well as extracting the tumour thrombus from the inferior vena cava and the right atrium.
To complete the surgery safely, the team used advanced techniques including cardiopulmonary bypass and hypothermic circulatory arrest, in which the body's temperature is lowered, and blood circulation is temporarily stopped.
"The operation posed several challenges, including controlling significant blood loss, preventing the tumour thrombus from breaking away and causing a fatal embolism in the lungs or brain, and maintaining the patient's blood pressure and other vital parameters throughout the procedure," doctors said.
The patient was successfully taken off ventilator support on the second day after surgery and is recovering well.
According to the officials, a procedure of this complexity, including intensive care, cardiopulmonary bypass, blood transfusions and post-operative treatment, would typically cost between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 15 lakh or more at a private hospital.
The entire treatment was provided free of cost under the state government's healthcare schemes at the Civil Hospital campus.
State Health Minister Praful Pansheriya congratulated the medical team on the successful surgery.
He praised the work of Civil Hospital's Head of Urology Dr Shrenik Shah, Dr Dhaval Desai, Dr Nirav Agrawal, Dr Akash Fauzdar and Dr Darshan Patel, along with U.N. Mehta Hospital Director Dr Chirag Doshi and CTVS surgeons Dr Jignesh Kothari and Dr Akash Shah.
The minister said that under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, patients at Ahmedabad Civil Medicity are receiving advanced and highly complex treatment comparable to that available in private hospitals, either free of charge or at nominal cost.
"This successful surgery is a living example of our patient-centred services, modern technology and the excellent coordination between two major institutions. Our firm commitment is that no needy patient in the state should be deprived of high-quality treatment because of financial hardship," he said.
Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi said the operation demonstrated the value of close collaboration between the two government institutions.
"This successful surgery is an excellent example of the outstanding coordination between Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and the U.N. Mehta Institute, as well as the multidisciplinary approach involving different departments. Such medical achievements become possible only when experts from two major government institutions work together. This strong coordination is helping provide new life and renewed hope to patients suffering from highly complex cancers," he said.
Explaining the rarity of the case, Dr Shrenik Shah said: "Among patients with renal cell carcinoma, venous tumour thrombus is seen in only four to 10 per cent of cases, and extension of the thrombus up to the heart occurs in only about one per cent. If the cancer has not spread to other organs and the tumour thrombus is completely removed through timely surgery, the patient can go on to live a long and healthy life."
Doctors said the case highlights the importance of multidisciplinary planning and advanced surgical techniques in managing rare and life-threatening forms of kidney cancer involving the heart.
--IANS
