Nghe An General Friendship Hospital successfully performed surgery and treatment for the first time on a patient with two cancers at the same time.

Recently, Nghe An General Hospital received patient T.D.T, 67 years old, residing in Nghi Xuan district, Ha Tinh. The patient had a history of chronic hepatitis, had been examined and treated at Hanoi hospital and was diagnosed with liver cancer (biopsy of hepatocellular carcinoma - HCC) 4 months ago. This time, the patient experienced severe abdominal pain, fatigue, poor appetite, and weight loss, so he went to Hanoi for a follow-up examination as scheduled and was also diagnosed with gastric carcinoma (stomach cancer). The doctors explained that he needed surgery to treat the condition, but the patient asked to return to Nghe An General Hospital for examination and treatment.

Through a thorough clinical examination and paraclinical tests such as blood tests, X-rays, abdominal CT scans, and gastric endoscopy and biopsy, the patient was diagnosed by doctors with liver cancer and stomach cancer, at the same time (having 2 different cancers at the same time). This is a very rare case in the world as well as in the country and also the first time liver cancer and stomach cancer were encountered at the same time. Both surgeries were major surgeries, so the doctors had a thorough professional consultation between the two specialties of hepatobiliary and digestive surgery, all of whom agreed that they were qualified to perform 2-in-1 surgery; the selection of the surgical team as well as the careful and meticulous pre-operative preparation, at the same time, the patient and his family were advised and encouraged to feel secure and confident in performing the first special surgery to remove the liver and stomach of a patient in 1 surgery.

On May 28, 2024, the surgery by Dr. Nguyen Huy Toan (head of the liver surgery team) and Dr. Dinh Van Chien (head of the stomach surgery team) performed a liver resection of segment VI and a total stomach resection, removing the D2 lymph nodes, restoring digestive circulation in the Double-tract style. After more than 5 hours of smooth coordination between the two teams, the surgery was successful.

Dr. Dinh Van Chien - an expert in endoscopic gastric surgery at Nghe An General Hospital added: "According to multi-center studies in countries in Asia and Europe, the rate of having two cancers at the same time in the world is very low, from 0.7 - 7.1% and is mainly liver cancer and colorectal cancer, uterine adnexal cancer, blood cell cancer... Liver cancer and stomach cancer at the same time are very rare, studies in Japan, Korea, China from 1989 to 2016 recorded the rate of having liver cancer and stomach cancer at the same time at 0.2 - 0.91%.

The timely detection of simultaneous cancer is very easy to miss if doctors do not have a full diagnostic test, but only focus on 1 detected cancer. In the case of this patient, for example, if we do not screen for stomach cancer at the same time, it may be missed and lead to the detection of the second cancer at a late stage. However, this patient was fortunate to be diagnosed early and had radical surgery to treat both cancers at the same time, limiting the pain, health loss, and treatment costs for the patient.

After surgery, the patient was actively monitored in the Department of Surgical Resuscitation. 24 hours after surgery, the patient's blood pressure was stable and the patient was transferred to the department for further treatment. After 1 week, the patient's condition was stable and he was discharged from the hospital.

The success of the combined surgery of two major surgeries to completely eradicate cancer in one surgery for a patient with liver cancer and stomach cancer, which is a rare disease, was performed for the first time at the hospital, showing that timely detection and selection of appropriate treatment methods, reputable medical facilities, and highly skilled and specialized doctors have brought many health benefits to patients./.