Novel Surgery Saves a Young Life

The MPCT Hospital in Navi Mumbai successfully performed an advanced cancer surgery that helped a young patient avoid amputation of the left leg. To treat 10-year-old Anuj Santosh Santhan’s bone cancer, doctors took out the affected part of his left femur, exposed it to high dosage of radiation outside the body and fixed it back.

A resident of Nashik and student of class 5, Anuj was diagnosed with femur osteosarcoma in June. He underwent two cycles of chemotherapy at a private hospital in Nashik. However, for the removal of the tumor, Anuj was referred to Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel, where he underwent another two cycles of chemotherapy. Though doctors advised his parents Santosh and Suvarna to arrange for surgery after three weeks, they said the waiting period at Tata Hospital was two months. As this could have endangered Anuj’s life, a friend referred the family to MPCT Hospital in Navi Mumbai.

The surgery, however, meant removing a 15-cm section of Anuj’s left femur, followed by a prosthetic implant. The thought of amputating the10-year old’s leg was weighing heavy on the family. Relief, however, came when orthopedic oncologists Dr. Mishil Parikh and radio-oncologist Dr. Rohan Salunke decided to use a revolutionary solution that could help salvage the child’s limb.

“We explored all options for the child. We thought of using a modular prosthetic but customizing it would have taken a long time. An expandable prosthetic meant only for pediatric purposes would have cost around Rs 20-25 lakhs,” Dr. Parikh told Mirror, adding that the patient’s father is a farmer and the cost was probably well beyond his means.

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