'Tubeless VATS technique has multiple advantages'

CHENNAI: Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, a part of the Apollo Cancer Centres has always been first in incorporate new treatment technologies in Cancer Care. In yet another feat, specialists at Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Chennai introduced a new technique the Tubeless VATS to successfully treat a 15-year-old patient from Bangladesh. This minimally invasive procedure has been performed for the first time in India.

In October 2019, the patient, MD Nahid Hasan, was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma of left femur (Left thigh bone) in Bangladesh. It is a very rare form of cancerous tumour that grows in bones or the soft tissue around bones, such as cartilage or the nerves. It typically affects people from 10 to 20 years of age. Nahid was treated in a hospital in Bangladesh where he underwent several chemotherapy sessions for this tumour. He also had a fracture of the same left lower limb in February 2020 and it was stabilised. Patient gradually had developed metastatic lumps (cancer lumps) in the upper lobe of his left lung during lockdown period. Metastatic tumoursin the lungs are malignancies (cancers) that developed in other parts of the human body and spread via the blood stream to the lungs. Common tumours that spread to the lungs include breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, sarcoma, bladder cancer, and neuroblastoma.

Speaking about the procedure Dr. Abhijith Das, Consultant Thoracic Oncologist, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, said, "Tubeless VATS technique has multiple advantages over the conventional procedure. It is minimally invasive which means it is less painful, minimal loss of blood and recovery is quicker. The technique also demonstrates minimal effect on the patient's immune status, which is a definite improvement over an open surgery. In this procedure the chances of post-operative infections and complications are lesser," stated a press release.

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