Complex limb-saving surgery performed

Mangaluru: A 35-year-old man suffering from thigh bone cancer has successfully been treated through a highly complex limb-saving surgery at Yenepoya Medical College Hospital.Dr Jalaluddin Akbar, professor and head of surgical oncology, Zulekha Yenepoya Institute of Oncology, told reporters on Tuesday the procedure involved the removal of the entire thigh bone along with the thigh muscles and reconstruction using chest wall muscles to give back function with a micro neurovascular technique. Explaining the case, he said the patient, a resident of Haveri, had a tumour involving the right thigh bone and surrounding thigh muscles. After a thorough evaluation, he underwent four cycles of chemotherapy. Due to the extensive involvement of the thigh muscles by the tumour, the initial recommendation elsewhere was amputation of the entire leg. However, the college team explored alternative limb-saving options, he said."Extensive research was conducted by reviewing national and international medical literature, which revealed only two similar case reports worldwide, both from the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, the UK. Following completion of chemotherapy, the patient was taken up for surgery on March 10. During the 13-hour surgery, the entire length of the thigh bone, along with affected thigh muscles, was removed. A titanium megaprosthesis was used to reconstruct the bone. Additionally, chest wall muscles along with their blood vessels and nerves were transferred using advanced micro neurovascular surgical techniques to reconstruct the thigh muscles and restore limb function," Dr Akbar explained.The patient tolerated the complex surgery well and he will be active within a few weeks. The entire treatment was offered to the patient free of cost. The multidisciplinary team included surgical oncologists, plastic surgeons, medical oncologists, orthopaedic surgeons, interventional radiologist, onco-anaesthetist, occupational therapist and supporting staff, he said.Dr M Vijayakumar, director and CEO of Zulekha Yenepoya Institute of Oncology, said the successful outcome further establishes Mangaluru as a growing hub for advanced cancer and reconstructive surgeries.