Manipal Hospitals Salt Lake Kolkata, the second largest health-care chain in the country has set yet another benchmark by saving the life of a young lady suffering from a genetically passed-on rare familial cancer. The expertise of Dr. Gautam Bhowmik, Consultant – General & Laparoscopic Surgeon took a quick decision to conduct a laparoscopic surgery. The surgery has not only saved the life of the patient but also slumped the need of chemotherapy.
Mrs. Ritika Dey (name changed), aged 40 a resident of Tollygunge and a teacher by profession has a family history of colonial cancer. Colonial cancer is not an uncommon case and is also treatable and often curable when localized in the bowel. But Ritika’s situation was different as she inherited the colonial cancer genetically and had familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) that accounts for barely 1% of all forms of colorectal cancer (CRC). Familial adenomatous polyposis is a rare, inherited condition caused by a defect in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. It is quite possible that by the age of 40 the chances of malignancy are 100%. Mrs. Dey was aware that she has FAP while she was also suffering from severe endometriosis, a condition caused by the appearance of endometrial tissue outside the uterus and causing pelvic pain. Ritika visited Manipal Hospital with a biopsy stating that one of the polyps has developed malignancy. Initially removing the colon was the first option but as she had numerous polyps in the rectum which can result in removing her rectum as well. But removal of rectum would have meant a permanent stoma in the right side of the abdomen. A stoma is an opening in the abdomen of the patient connected to the urinary system to allow the waste to be discharged from the body.
Dr. Gautam Bhowmik Consultant – General & Laparoscopic Surgeon said, “A permanent stoma was never an answer to Ritika’s condition as she is young and a working woman. My team of doctors conducted position emission tomography (PET) to detect the spread of cancer. But it was a relief that the malignancy has not spread to other organs of the body and tumours was limited to colon only. We performed the surgery the next day and removed her entire colon, rectum and also a part of her ureter was removed as the left side of the ureter was also affected. We reconstructed the ureter by creating ileoanal anastomosis and a temporary stoma was also created. The best part was that she will not be needing chemotherapy. I would also suggest people with genetic history must undergo diagnosis post the age of 25 years to prevent any fatality.”
Mrs. Ritika Dey said, “I was aware of the disease as my father died of this disease at the age of 47 and also, I lost my two paternal cousins. I was cautious so I got myself screened when I was 35 years and I was perfect. But early this year when I underwent diagnosis, I was bit suspicious that rushed me immediately to Dr. Bhowmik. My blood tests were normal but colonoscopy revealed that I have developed polyps. Surgery was conducted and whole of my colon and a part of my rectum has been removed. I am healing well now but I would say that every person with a family history must undergo screening every 3 years starting from the age of 25 as a safety measure. My brother is undergoing screening regularly as a precautionary measure. If possibility is there then people must also undergo genetic screening for an early detection of the spread of the cancer cells.”
Mr. Arindam Banerjee, Director Manipal Hospitals said, “we have been treating several rare cases in our hospital while in this case I would like to make people aware that early detection of the cancer can save numerous lives. So, if anyone with a family history or having an abnormal cell development must undergo diagnosis immediately.”
Mrs. Ritika was discharged a month back and she is doing well. She is not under any medication and has also resumed work from her home. She is under supervision and the stent in her left ureter will be removed after 10 days. In the next two months her temporary stoma will also be removed. Her condition is stable and there are almost no chances of re-occurrence of her cancer.
About Manipal Hospitals
As a pioneer in healthcare, Manipal Hospitals is among the top healthcare providers in India serving over 4 million patients annually. Its focus is to develop an affordable, high-quality healthcare framework through its multispecialty and tertiary care delivery spectrum and further extend it to out-of-hospital care. With the completion of the acquisition of 100% shareholding in Columbia Asia Hospitals Private Limited and Vikram Hospital (Bengaluru) Private Limited, the integrated network today has a pan-India footprint of 27 hospitals across 15 cities with 7,600+ beds, and a talented pool of 4,000 doctors and an employee strength of over 11,000.
Manipal Hospitals provides comprehensive curative and preventive care for a multitude of patients from around the globe. Manipal Hospitals is NABH, AAHRPP accredited and most of the hospitals in its network are NABL, ER, Blood Bank accredited and recognized for Nursing Excellence. Manipal Hospitals has also been recognized as the most respected and patient-recommended hospital in India through various consumer surveys.
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