10-year-old girl is cancer free after a rare surgical bone transplantation successfully done at the Nashik HCG Manavata Cancer Centre

This surgery has not only made the child cancer free but she can now lead a normal life just like any other girl of her age.

The patient was diagnosed with cancerous growth in the long bone below the knee. Further, abdominal scans and MRIs were performed with chemotherapy due to the limited presence of bone marrow. Since the infected region of the bone was away from the knee joint, it presented an opportunity for the doctors to opt for a tougher surgery and save the leg rather than going for an amputation, as it happens in such cases. After meticulous study of the patient case and understanding the risk factors, they decided to go ahead with the bone transplantation procedure. They cut the diseased portion of the bone which was about 10 cm and treated it with high-dose radiation for 30 minutes, cleaned the bone and refitted it into the leg. The surgery was successful and the patient was able to be on her feet within 24 Hours.

Usually for such cases, the infected portion of the bone is cut and replaced with an artificial implant. But since the patient is merely 10 years old, any artificial implant would have adversely impacted the growth of her legs. So, the surgery was done to ensure that the patient is not only cancer free but restore her quality of life.

Speaking about this successful surgical procedure, Prof. Dr. Raj Nagarkar, MD, HCG Manavata Cancer Centre said, "After Tata hospital, we are the only one in the State who have performed such rare surgeries.We approach each patient with the aim of "passion to cure". We apply the latest medical practices supported by advanced technology, highly skilled doctors, nurses, paramedics and other trained professionals. For this surgery too, we had a team of experienced and fearless doctors who took on the challenge of a risky surgery and gave back a normal healthy life back to the patient."

The surgery was led by Dr. Raj Nagarkar and his team, Dr. Bharat Kelkar, Dr. Vijay Palwe, Dr. Prakash Pandit, Dr. Shruti Kate and Dr. Chaitanya Borde. This surgical procedure is rare on two accounts, one is that very few hospitals have the tenacity to undertake such tough procedures and second, there are only few patients who qualify for this surgery. Until a decade back, in most Ewing Sarcoma cases amputation was the only option, but thanks to advent to chemotherapy and other medical innovations in the field of cancer research, wherein we can explore other alternative surgeries to tackle such cases and ensure best possible outcome for the patients.

So far, eleven such rare surgeries have been performed at the HCG Manavata Cancer Centre. Here the patient was from a low-income family so the medical social work department of the hospital did not allow any burden of treatment on patient's family while seeking help from the Prime Minister's Assistance Fund.