Doctors Remove Cancerous Kidney Tumour Weighing 3.7 Kg In 7-year-old

 

 

In one of the most challenging paediatric cancer surgeries ever performed at the institute, doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur, have given a seven-year-old child a new lease of life by performing a rare surgery to remove a cancerous kidney tumour weighing 3.7 kilograms.

During this complex six-hour procedure, the inferior vena cava (IVC) — the body's largest vein — was also reconstructed.

 

Dr Manish Pathak, head of the Department of Paediatric Surgery, said that the child had been suffering from progressively increasing swelling in the right side of the abdomen for nearly four years. A subsequent CT scan at AIIMS, Jodhpur, said that the tumour had grown to approximately 24×21×18 centimetres. It had destroyed the entire right kidney and spread across the majority of the abdominal cavity.

Following the surgery, the child's condition improved steadily, and the first round of post-operative chemotherapy has already been successfully administered. The child is currently undergoing further treatment under the supervision of a team of paediatric cancer specialists.

 

This complex operation was led by Additional Professor Dr Rahul Saxena. He explained that the tumour had displaced the liver, pancreas, intestines, and bladder from their normal anatomical positions. The most critical complication was that the tumour had invaded the wall of the IVC, responsible for carrying blood from the lower body to the heart.

Additionally, the tumour had extended to the right adrenal vein, and the pressure it exerted had obstructed the left renal vein. These factors made the operation exceptionally challenging.

During the surgery, doctors removed the right kidney and the entire ureter, including the tumour. Since the tumour had affected the wall of the IVC, the affected section of the vein was excised and successfully reconstructed using a 6-centimetre bovine pericardial patch.

 

Dr Rahul Saxena said that Dr Aniruddha Mathur and Dr Surendra Patel from the Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS) played a pivotal role in the team that performed the successful surgery. Resident doctors from the Department of Paediatric Surgery, Dr Joyal Sunny and Dr Harshvardhan, also provided active assistance throughout the operation. Suresh and Naved provided excellent support as part of the nursing team. The anaesthesia team was led by Dr Sadiq. Dr Saxena mentioned that the operation was performed free of cost under the Rajasthan government's 'Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya' (MAA) scheme. Thanks to this scheme, the family did not have to bear any financial burden for such expensive and state-of-the-art treatment.

 

Dr Pathak said that successful treatment is possible for kidney cancers in children, specifically Wilms' tumour, if diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. He urged parents not to dismiss persistent abdominal swelling or lumps in children as minor issues; instead, they should immediately consult a specialist, as timely treatment can enable most children to lead completely normal lives.