A 28-year-old postgraduate medical student, who had undergone a successful robotic colorectal surgery for low rectal cancer at Apollo Hospital, has now completed her postgraduate studies and won a gold medal.
According to a press release, the doctor was diagnosed with very low rectal cancer in 2017, at the age of 24, when she was just about to join her PG course.
After the diagnosis, she had thought her medical dreams would be halted, as with conventional surgery for this cancer, the patient is left with a colostomy, a surgically-created opening in the body that routes bowel waste into a colostomy bag.
However, with robotic surgery, the cancer was removed and the colon to rectal connection reconstructed, thus preventing a colostomy, said Venkatesh Munikrishnan, consultant colorectal & robotic surgeon.
Cancers are adding to the burden of non-communicable diseases, and colorectal cancers are showing a rise, said Prathap C. Reddy, chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group.
“Over the last few years, there have been several advances in minimally invasive techniques such as robotic colorectal surgery, which has led to significant change in the management of colorectal diseases,” said Preetha Reddy, executive vice-chairperson. The occasion also marked the completion of five years since the Apollo Institute of Colorectal Surgery began offering minimally invasive robotic surgical techniques and technology.
