Bengaluru: Doctors perform rare multivisceral resection surgery on colon cancer patient

Bengaluru: In an extremely rare case, doctors at Aster RV Hospital successfully conducted a multiviscural resection surgery using a minimally invasive approach on a 45-year-old male suffering from colon cancer. Typically, such surgeries are conducted through an open incision however, the doctors decided to use a laparoscopic technique in Shekhar's (name changed) case, making this potentially the first of its kind in the country. According to medical literature, this type of surgery has previously been successfully performed only once in the world.

Colon cancer is one of the top three most common cancers that affect people in the world and one of the leading cancers that contribute to death worldwide. In India, it contributes to nearly 2 million cancer related deaths. 45-year-old Shekhar had developed symptoms such as stomach pain and bleeding in stools. He also started losing weight rapidly and started vomiting after food intake. He was diagnosed with cancer of the colon with blocks and involvement of the Duodenum (first part of small intestine).

He underwent chemotherapy and a tube for feeding directly into the intestine. There was no response to treatment. The only other option was to remove the tumour surgically.

"Conventional methods like chemotherapy were not working on the patient and there was no reduction in disease or tumour size. PET scans revealed that the spread of the cancer was only local and the next step to treatment would be to excise the cancerous areas. Multi-visceral resection in such cases is a surgical treatment option that can cure the disease however this is a very technically challenging surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most extensive multi-visceral laparoscopic resection and probably the first in India to be ever reported," said Dr. Girish SP, Lead Consultant – General and GI Surgery, Aster RV Hospital. The surgery was conducted over a period of 360 minutes with an intra-operative blood loss of just about 250 ml

Colon cancer has a very good prognosis when diagnosed at a localised stage and most often can be treated with chemotherapy. In certain cases, surgery may be required.

"Being diagnosed with colon cancer was a harrowing experience however I placed faith in the hands of my doctors. When we found out that the chemotherapy was not working it came as a shock as that is the first line of treatment and we were expecting the cancer to be managed however that was not the case. Doctors at Aster RV Hospital then suggested that I undergo a minimally invasive surgery to remove the tumour and reconstruct the colon. The surgery was a very smooth experience and after some initial post-recovery discomfort, I have now recovered smoothly and have returned to normal life without much disturbance. I would like to thank the doctors at Aster RV Hospital for taking complete care of me," said Shekhar, the patient.

When caught in the early stages, colon cancer is one of the most curable forms of cancer. If you are over the age of 50 or fall into the high risk group for colon cancer, it is recommended to go for a colonoscopy every 3-5 years.