A 54-year-old woman from Assam recently underwent a single-stage surgery for renal cancer and femur replacement in a city hospital. The woman, who required prosthesis for the broken thigh bone, also underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy, and is ready to go home.
In the first week of March, the woman broke her thigh bone in a fall. Doctors said she needed surgery but the tumour in her left kidney made them wary. She was advised to seek treatment at Apollo Proton Cancer Care Centre here. However, owing to the pandemic she could come only in the second week of June. Her treatment began on June 13.
Senior consultant orthopaedic surgeon Vijay Kishore Reddy said patients came late for treatment due to travel restrictions and fear of COVID-19. By the time the woman could travel, the tumour in her kidney had reached the final stage. Her renal cell carcinoma had metastasised, forming several smaller tumours and reaching her femur. “Early detection through multi-modal approach and treatment is key for tackling this disease,” he said.
Doctors found that the tumour had completely destroyed her femur and had spread to the soft tissues. A team of doctors, including medical oncologist, ortho oncologist, nephro oncologist, anaesthetist, and plastic surgeon planned the surgeries to replace the damaged femur and knee joint with prosthesis and to remove the cancerous kidney.
The use of the laparoscopic method to remove the cancerous kidney reduced blood loss to just 500 ml from the usual three or four litres in the conventional method, doctors said.
The patient was mobilised the next day and made to walk. She had a good chance of five-year survival rate, the doctors said.
Doctors said renal cell carcinoma accounted for nearly 7% of all patients and metastasis. Administering anaesthesia to such patients is a challenge as she could develop blood clots that could attack her lungs (pulmonary embolism) post-surgery.
Hospital vice-chairperson Preetha Reddy said the multi-modal approach reduced post-operative morbidities and drastically cut the cost of surgery for the patient.
Hospital chairman Prathap C. Reddy said Apollo Proton Cancer Centre was setting trends in the field of oncology. Apollo had become a multi-speciality hospital whose outcomes for patients were among the best.
