Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have performed a limb salvage surgery on a 21-year-old man from Bihar using vascular reconstruction in order to avoid amputation of limbs. The patient was suffering from sarcoma — a deadly form of cancer. According to the doctors, the patient had a 12-cm sarcoma on his thigh involving the main vessels supplying blood to the lower limb.
Dr Sunil Kumar, Assistant Professor of Surgical Oncology said, by limb salvage surgery, it is possible to treat sarcoma safely without performing amputation. For the treatment, affected blood vessels are reconstructed and replaced with veins.
Sarcoma affects the limbs and neck region and surgery is the only curative treatment. “In this, malignant tumours of more than 10 cm is usually tend to involve major connective tissue vessels supplying blood to the limbs, compelling the surgeon to surgically remove the affected limb,” said AIIMS Director M C Mishra.
In India, rehabilitative processes are not well developed, said Mishra.