SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS FOUGHT FOR THE LIFE OF OUR PATIENT

At the operating room of the A. Tsyb MRRC, meticulous and intense work is underway. Several doctors, led by the Head of the Radiation Injury Department Valery Korotkov, are fighting for the life of a young woman named Marina. For her, this is not just a surgery but a chance to return to a full life—working, meeting people, raising a child.

A year ago, Marina was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She underwent surgery and a course of chemoradiation therapy. It seemed the worst was behind her. However, complications proved more severe than the disease itself. After therapy, Marina developed a fistula between her bladder and vagina.

“Unfortunately, patients often face such complications after comprehensive treatments for cervical cancer,” explains Valery Alexandrovich. “This disrupts the normal rhythm of life, where a patient simply cannot leave home, return to work, or embrace loved ones without fear of pain or discomfort.”

Attempts to fix the issue failed. The tissues irradiated during treatment would not heal. New complications arose, including bloody discharge from the rectum, indicating disease progression. The tumor affected two organs at once—the bladder and rectum.

The situation was further complicated by leg vein thrombosis and pulmonary artery thromboembolism detected during additional exams.

Marina required a treatment that normally cannot be combined: on one hand, she needed anticoagulants to thin her blood; on the other, the risk of bleeding rose sharply.

“We implanted a vena cava filter, a special device placed in the inferior vena cava that captures blood clots and prevents them from reaching the lungs,” says Valery Kucherov, Head of the Interventional Radiology Department. “We also performed embolization of the upper rectal arteries to minimize bleeding risk. Only after these measures were our colleagues ready to operate.”

The main stage was a total pelvic exenteration—removal of the tumor-affected rectum and bladder with subsequent reconstruction.

“These surgeries are life-saving,” explains Nikita Gorbachev, Marina’s attending physician and oncologist in the Radiation Injury Department. “They are the only way to relieve patients from constant suffering and discomfort and restore a life without pain.”

Marina is now recovering after surgery. She smiles when talking about her home and child waiting for her return. For our Center, such operations are part of everyday routine, but for patients, they provide a chance to resume normal life—where mornings start not with pain, but with plans for the day.