IGMCH Shimla doctors perform first-of-its-kind cancer surgery on 76 year old patient

Shimla: The Indira Gandhi Medical College has performed one of the heaviest mass removal cancer surgery for the first time ever in the state on a 76-year -old patient. 

The surgery was conducted by cancer surgeon Dr Rashpal Singh, who has completed his super-specialization at AIIMS, New Delhi. A mass of 14.5 kg was removed from the body of the patient along with the right kidney and part of the large intestine.

Dr Shikha Sood, interventional radiologist at IGMC provisionally diagnosed the patient with retroperitoneal sarcoma after conducting several tests including a CT scan and MRI. Retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) is a rare tumour whose diagnosis and management can be challenging and for which management requires a multidisciplinary team in a specialized centre.

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Later after conducting a biopsy on the patient, it was revealed that the patient had liposarcoma. Liposarcoma is a type of cancer that occurs in fat cells in the body, most often in the muscles of the limbs or the abdomen. Liposarcoma is a rare type of cancer that begins in the fat cells. Liposarcoma is considered a type of soft tissue sarcoma.

TOI reports that considering his age, the surgery posed a high risk and the patient could go into cardiac arrest and die. However, listening to all the complications, the patient agreed to get the surgery done.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy were also planned to treat cancer, but the swelling was too large to reduce. As per the consent of the patient, the surgery was conducted in June this year.

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Himachal Pradesh Medical College was renamed Indira Gandhi Medical College (now popularly known as IGMC in abbreviated form) in 1984. Indira Gandhi Medical College Shimla has also been granted the status of Regional Cancer Center by the Govt. of India, thus providing much-needed comprehensive cancer care to cancer patients.

Essential periodical up-gradation of facilities for investigations and treatment has been going on regularly and in the year 2005 facility of Open Heart Surgery has been made operational and in 2006 MRI facility has been added.