Apollo Proton Cancer Centre performs India’s 1st Multimodal Management of Bone Metastasis from Kidney with Single Stage Megaprosthesis Replacement of Femur & Laproscopic Nephrectomy

Chennai, 29 June 2021:  Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, the first Proton Therapy Centre in South Asia & the Middle East performed India Megaprosthesis Fixation for femur (thigh bone) +Laparoscopic Radical nephrectomy (A laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is a minimally invasive surgical technique that is commonly recommended to remove a cancerous kidney) as single stage surgery through a Multimodal approach.

A 54 year old woman, from Assam had sustained fracture of her left thigh bone afterand suffered with a trivial injury two months ago and was bedridden and unable to move around. She visited Apollo Proton Cancer Centre on June 13, 2021 completely immobile. On evaluation and a biopsy she was diagnosed with metastatic left renal cell carcinoma which is a cancerous lesion of the kidney. (A type of metastasis in which cancer cells from the original (primary) tumor travel through the body and form a small number of new tumors (metastatic tumors) in one or two other parts of the body.)

Specialists at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre planned for surgical resection of the tumor in the thigh bone and the removal of the affected kidney through minimally invasive methods to stabilize the patient and get her to walk again.

As a novel attempt specialists performed two procedures on the patient simultaneously at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre. Both the procedures were completed in six hours.  The knee joint containing the tumor was removed with wide margins and replaced with a mega prosthesis. The patient also underwent a laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (removal of kidney) which was performed through 3 tiny 5mm holes in the abdomen in the same sitting. After the procedure the patient was mobilized the very next day and made to walk after almost three months. In view of the local nodal spread in the CT scan, comprehensive nodal clearance was also performed in order to give a better survival rate.

Speaking during the event Dr.Vijay Kishore Reddy, Senior Consultant Orthopedic surgeon, Apollo hospitals, said, “In this current pandemic era, patients with cancer often present late due to travel restrictions and fear of COVID. This has led to undue delay in diagnosis and treatment, resulting in late presentation of tumor at its final stages that has spread everywhere. Early detection through a multi-modal approach and treatment is the key for tackling this deadly disease.”

Treatment for kidney cancer or renal cell carcinoma requires optimal surgical control of the primary tumor managing of the spread metastases to other parts of the body. This kind of spread is rarely seen in RCC (renal cell carcinoma) and accounts only for around 7% of all patients with metastasis. Anaesthetizing a kidney cancer patient with Bone metastasis is a real challenge due to the risk of blood clot in the blood vessels that can cause lung attack (Pulmonary embolism) during and immediately after surgery.

Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said “Here at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, we are setting trends in the field of oncology with our breakthrough surgeries and the uniqueness of it. This achievement by the Clinicians team is a matter of great pride not only to Apollo Group, but also to the whole healthcare industry. Patient’s faith on our doctors has built us and the entire team is working towards strengthening it by innovating and providing world class healthcare at your reach.

Speaking during the press meet, Ms. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “The multimodal approach allows for earlier mobilization, lesser hospital stay and reduced post-operative morbidities. Both the procedures being done in the same sitting of surgery allows to reduce costs drastically. This is possible only with multimodal management where highly specialized doctors in their individual fields collaborate for optimum patient care to achieve excellent functional and oncological outcomes.”