HYDERABAD: In a jaw-dropping feat, doctors at Max Cure Hospital reportedly won the fight against an advanced stage liver cancer. With over 80 per cent of the 60-year-old patient’s liver infected by the malicious cancer cells, the doctors were in unchartered territory in terms of cancer treatment. They resorted to using a human body’s regenerative capabilities against the disease.
“We blocked off a branch of the portal vein (the main vein that delivers blood to the liver). This made the liver behave as though part of the organ has been removed, triggering the process of tissue regeneration on the other side,” said Dr CH Madhusudhan, senior consultant in Surgical Gastroenterology.
They were trying to mimic an organ failure and help the body regenerate itself from the cancer-free end.
The doctors’ team said that the risky procedure was performed as a last resort since cancer had grown to an advanced stage occupying 80% of the liver. Usually, it is observed that in similar cases the chances of survival are poor as even if you remove a tumour successfully, the patient dies in the post-operative period due to liver failure.
Two weeks after the surgery, stage two of ALPPS (the name of the procedure performed) was done. After ensuring that the liver had regenerated enough, the team of doctors removed the diseased portion of the liver.
The remaining part of the liver, which by this point has grown significantly, was able to compensate and provide all the necessary functions of the liver.