NEW DELHI: A 57-year-old Kenyan woman diagnosed with stage IV endometrial cancer received a new lease of life after undergoing “low dose” immunotherapy and chemotherapy at a leading hospital here, doctors said on Tuesday.
So far, in the medical literature across the world, such an excellent response to low-dose immunotherapy and chemotherapy has not been described in an endometrial cancer case, they claimed. Apollo hospital in a statement said, “The patient had been suffering from endometrial cancer for the past year and was operated on in her native country Kenya in November 2021.
However, after the surgery, the disease spread to other organs and the patient developed additional complications involving extensive disease in the abdomen and pelvis, fluid in both lungs, liver metastasis, a non-healing surgical wound in the abdomen, and clots in her legs,” it said.
With her condition deteriorating and disease taking a toll on her overall health, as a first step, she was given chemotherapy, it said. “Endometrial cancer is the cancer of the inner lining of the uterus. Often it is diagnosed at an early stage due to frequent abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in few cases, it can reach stage IV without being diagnosed,’ said Dr Shuaib Zaidi, senior consultant, and surgical oncologist at the hospital.
“In most cases of stage IV endometrial cancer, cancer can spread too far to be removed with surgery, and so need chemotherapy and immunotherapy for treatment,” he said. The woman from Kenya presented with “extensive peritoneal deposits” in her abdomen and pelvis, chest nodes, fluid in both lungs, extensive disease in the liver, a non-surgical wound, and clots in both legs, after surgery of stage IV endometrial cancer, the statement said.
On admission at Apollo hospital, the patient was very weak and fatigued due to multiple health complications. She was admitted on January 20 this year for initial management of disease, but with her condition deteriorating due to a large volume of disease, she was advised chemotherapy with immunotherapy, doctors said.
She underwent a “successful treatment of her stage IV endometrial cancer” with chemotherapy and immunotherapy at Apollo hospital here, it said. Dr Ajay Gupta, senior consultant, medical oncology, at the hospital said, “She needed chemotherapy to combat the widespread disease process.”