SURGEONS AT THE NATIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH ONCOLOGICAL CENTRE PRESERVED FULL FUNCTION OF THE ONLY KIDNEY AFTER TUMOUR REMOVAL

A case that a 24-year-old patient turned to the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for the treatment is described by the doctors themselves as truly unique. The fact is that at just one and a half years old, Nastya was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor and a metastasis in the temporal bone. Upon review of the archival slides, it was identified as metastatic neuroblastoma — an extremely aggressive diagnosis, with a five-year survival rate not exceeding 40%. The treatment administered at the time was successful, and the girl, having survived all critical milestones, grew up to live a normal life, but with only one kidney: the other was removed during childhood.

During a routine ultrasound, doctors noticed a fairly large mass in the kidney, which was initially thought to be a cyst. However, further tests revealed that it was a tumor that absorbed contrast. By the time of surgery, its size had reached 8 cm, almost the size of the kidney itself.

The most obvious treatment option was to remove the organ, which would mean a life on dialysis or waiting for a transplant. However, neither the mother nor the girl intended to give up, and following the advice of local oncologists, they turned to the P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute, where doctors agreed to attempt the impossible – to remove the tumor and save the organ.

«We not only decided to perform the surgery, but also carried it out laparoscopically, and most importantly in this case — without clamping the vessels», – notes the operating surgeon, research fellow of the Department of Reproductive and Urinary Organ Tumours, PhD Maxym Golovashchenko. “We performed an ischaemia-free enucleoresection — removed the tumor without stopping blood flow to the kidney”.

The surgeons were able to perform truly meticulous work. «We entered a very thin layer — along the pseudocapsule between the kidney tissue and the tumor. If you reach exactly there, you can remove the neoplasm without damaging the organ itself», – explains Maxym Petrovych.

The operation lasted about two hours. Blood loss was minimal. Within the first day, the kidney was fully functional, and by the third day, the patient was discharged home. Now, only the biggest plans and dreams lie ahead for Nastya!