New Delhi: A team of doctors at Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh successfully treated and saved a 6-year-old boy from here recently. The patient was suffering from a rare congenital blockage in the right kidney as well as a malignant liver; i.e. hepatoblastoma which is an extremely rare condition in the entire south Asian region. The treatment was a complete success as the child is enjoying his childhood now. The team was led by Dr Pradeep Jain, Director, GI Oncosurgery, Fortis Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. 

The child was suffering from continuous pain in the abdomen which even prevented him to attend school or even play. When he was presented to the doctors, test findings revealed a large cancerous mass on the right side of his liver. He also had a congenital condition which obstructed the outlet of the right kidney resulting in swelling and non-functional. A careful examination and treatment planning was prepared. Consequently, the cancerous right lobe of the liver and right kidney were removed. It was done carefully that preserved the rest of the liver. The patient did not require any chemotherapy during the post-operative period and the cancer has also showed no signs of recurrence.

Speaking on the challenging surgery, Dr Pradeep Jain said, “The child was in a precarious situation when we first evaluated her. The rare condition was required to be handled deftly given his age and congenital condition of his right kidney. Our planned treatment worked perfectly as the boy is now completely recovered. We are really happy that it went off well as it’s a major surgery for such a small child.”

“We carefully evaluated our options and decided to remove the kidney, conduct a nephrectomy and then remove only the central segment 5 and 8 of the liver (there are 8 segments), even though it was technically much more demanding as compared to removal of entire right lobe (segment 5, 6, 7 and 8). However, keeping in mind the patient’s age, we felt this would be less stressful for the body. The surgery lasted for more than 5 hours but the child took the procedure well and improved fast during his post-operative period,” Dr Jain further added.

Mr Mahipal Bhanot, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital Shalimar Bagh said, “It was a very complex surgery and needed careful review and assessment of options, state of the art instruments, highly skilled expertise and the coordinated teamwork of pediatric oncology surgeons, intensivists and anesthetists to save a child’s life. The multidisciplinary approach at FHSB with global standards of care ensure good outcomes.”

 

Hepatoblastoma is an extremely uncommon malignant liver cancer occurring in infants and children. However, in a study done by WHO, incidents of childhood cancer have increased across the globe by 13 per cent over 20 years, reaching an annual rate of 140 per million children aged 0-14 years worldwide. Although, hepatoblastoma is rare in South and South East Asia region, the overall increase may be due to timely detection. The study suggests that incidences of childhood cancers may be influenced by external factors, such as infections or environmental pollutants.