TUMOUR REMOVED WITHOUT INCISIONS: PATIENT’S STOMACH PRESERVED AT THE NATIONAL MEDICAL RESEARCH RADIOLOGICAL CENTRE THANKS TO A HIGH‑TECH ENDOSCOPIC PROCEDURE

During a routine gastroscopy, 50‑year‑old Oksana was found to have “polyps” in her stomach. However, the biopsy results led to a revised diagnosis: the lesions turned out to be neuroendocrine tumors. At her local healthcare facility, the patient was recommended to undergo radical surgery involving removal of the stomach.

The woman sought a second opinion at the P. Hertsen MORI— a branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation. Her examination was carried out at the Russian‑Japanese Endoscopy Centre “Endoonco”, which has one of the largest experiences in the country in diagnosing and providing organ‑preserving treatment for early tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.

Thanks to the team’s expertise and the use of high‑tech endoscopic equipment, the specialists were able to precisely assess the depth of the tumor invasion and establish that it was confined to the mucosal and submucosal layers of the stomach wall. This made it possible to avoid removing the organ and instead perform a minimally invasive endoscopic intervention — namely, mucosal resection with submucosal dissection.

“We use expert‑class equipment that allows us to magnify the image of the mucosa hundreds of times and literally see the tiniest tissue changes. This enables us to determine the tumor margins as accurately as possible and choose an organ‑preserving treatment strategy,” says Sergey Pirogov, MD, PhD, Head of the Endoscopy Department at the P. Hertsen MORI. “The procedure itself is performed using a miniature instrument about 1.5 millimeters in diameter, which is passed through the endoscope’s channel. In effect, this is high‑precision surgery without any ‘incisions’ or ‘punctures’”.

The Centre’s specialists completely removed the 2‑centimetre tumor. The patient was able to eat in the evening of the same day and was discharged home the following day.

“Over the years, our department has performed more than 2,500 similar interventions. It is precisely these technologies that allow us not only to treat early‑stage tumors effectively but also to preserve patients’ organs, their functions and their usual quality of life”, – emphasizes Sergey Pirogov.

To schedule endoscopic examinations and consultations with specialists at the P. Hertsen MORI, please call: +7 (495) 150‑11‑22.