HYDERABAD: In a major medical achievement, the Oncology Wing of Apollo Cancer Institute performed a jaw-bone reconstruction surgery on a 45-year-old cancer patient, who had also tested positive for COVID-19, the first such procedure to be performed in Telangana.
The surgery was complex and involved removal of the extensively spread cancer in the mouth. As the patient was asymptomatic, the doctors operated on him just two weeks after he tested positive, although worldwide it is advised to have a three week waiting period.
A conventional surgery would have meant removal of central arch of the mandible but it would have had debilitating effect on the patient, so doctors performed a reconstruction instead. "The procedure lasted for 10 hours. Prolonged surgery in COVID-19 patients can often lead to complications, however, in this case any delay would have been detrimental," said Dr Umanath Nayak.