One of the most difficult and uncommon cancer cases seen in recent years has been successfully treated at Techno India Dama Hospital in Kolkata in an amazing demonstration of clinical skill, teamwork, and infrastructure excellence. Dr. Suddhasattwa Sen oversaw the extremely complicated procedure, with assistance from Dr. Saurabh Mukherjee, Dr. Kajol Sardar, the OT team, and the full Techno Dama clinical staff.

After being turned down for treatment by many facilities around India, the patient—an elderly police officer with numerous comorbidities, including diabetes, serious heart and lung problems, and low body weight—came to the hospital. Despite his advanced age and deteriorating health, his active lifestyle and high performance scores motivated the team to consider surgical intervention.

He was found to have highly advanced oesophageal and stomach cancer, which was previously thought to be incurable. The tumor had spread over the left lobe of the liver, adhering to the diaphragm, aorta, coeliac axis, and duodenum. Fortunately, the disease did not metastasize even after six months of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation. Palliative care or a high-risk surgical effort were the patient’s sole options at this point.

The staff at Techno India Dama Hospital decided to take on the difficult task following extensive counseling with the family.

Using several extremely sophisticated techniques, the team effectively removed the entire tumor mass in an amazing 2.5-hour operation. They were a Partial Oesophagectomy, Total Radical Gastrectomy, Partial Duodenectomy, careful dissection of tumour tissue from the aorta and coeliac axis, and preservation of the left lobe of the liver, despite direct involvement.

Despite the patient’s hemoglobin level being near 10 at the beginning of the procedure, the team managed to accomplish all surgical objectives with little blood loss and no need for a blood transfusion. Surprisingly, the patient merely needed an overnight stay in the intensive care unit and didn’t need a ventilator or organ support. On the eleventh postoperative day, he was released without any issues.

This accomplishment is a result of the clinical leadership of Dr. Suddhasattwa Sen, the commitment of the multidisciplinary team, which includes Dr. Saurabh Mukherjee, Dr. Soumik Roy, Dr. Waseem, and Dr. Kajol Ghosh, as well as the robust support network and cutting-edge facilities offered by Techno India Dama Hospital.

Priyanka Dutta