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Doctors performing the procedure urge people to eat healthy and avoid smoking as it aids recovery after surgery
photos provided
A 44-year-old member of the UAE Armed Forces in Sheikh Shahbut Medical City, Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic (SSMC), was relieved to have removed a large mediastinal tumor through a rare procedure.
The Emirati man was found to have a 7cm-long tumor in his chest after a recent medical examination, which was entirely coincidental.
“I have never experienced any pain. My tumor was first discovered during a regular work check-up. At that private hospital in Al Ain, there is an imaging procedure that specializes in detecting cancer cells. The results showed that I had a A lump. Doctors confirmed a cancerous tumor. I was referred to SSMC to see Dr. Black as he is a top specialist in thoracic surgery,” the Emiratis said.
Consultant thoracic surgeon Dr. Edward Alexander Black isn’t sure how people get these rare tumors.
Dr. Edward Alexander Black
“They start out as benign growths associated with immune diseases that sometimes turn into malignant tumors. These malignant thymoma tumors grow slowly and eventually wrap around the lungs and heart and spread around the patient’s body. In this patient, it did not spread beyond the tumor mass. But yeah, it’s a serious disease.”
Speaking of the initial diagnosis, Dr. Black said: “This tumor is part of an immune problem in the thymus gland of the chest. This produces antibodies that affect the ability of the nerves to activate the muscles, so the symptoms are general fatigue, which gets worse every day, gets better with sleep, etc.”
advanced surgery
Usually, surgery would involve splitting the sternum, but Dr. Black used a minimally invasive approach to remove the tumor, surrounding tissue and lymph nodes without splitting the sternum or ribs.
“Thoroscopic thymectomy is preferable to open thymectomy because it reduces pain and physical stress, which speeds recovery and reduces complications. However, for tumors larger than 3 or 4 cm in diameter, it is usually much more difficult. Dissecting and using new techniques to extract the mass and attached nodes provides our patients with the benefits of minimally invasive surgery.”
Dr. Black emphasized that removing a 7-centimeter tumor is challenging.
“The larger the size, the more advanced the tumor, and the increased risk of incomplete surgery (leaving a small piece). Also, larger tumors require a combination of radiation therapy and surgery. This patient had been completely resected, so radiation therapy was used to increase the safety.”
The tumor did not rupture and was removed from his body through a small incision in his upper abdomen. The patient had no obvious pain and was discharged the next morning. He is currently undergoing follow-up treatment to ensure the tumor recurrence is minimal.
“Recurrence is a risk for malignant thymoma, especially large thymoma, which is why we offer preventive radiation therapy. Because these tumors grow slowly, recurrence can be very late, so 1 year after surgery, 2 years, and every 2 years thereafter A CT scan of his chest will be provided.”
eat healthy, quit smoking
Dr. Black urged community members to follow a healthy diet and avoid smoking.
“This tumor has nothing to do with diet and smoking, but if you’re healthy, recovery from surgery is much easier. If you follow healthy lifestyle recommendations, the risk of more aggressive cancers like lung cancer is much lower, of course Everyone knows that, but of course sometimes it’s hard to follow it all the time.”
The Emirati patient is doing follow-up tests and has asked people to be screened.
“I noticed an improvement immediately after the surgery. All my fears disappeared after the surgery and I became more at ease. Now I go to the hospital for regular check-ups to follow up on my condition. Many people are hesitant to get screened , but I strongly recommend that they get checked regularly,” he added.
SSMC’s Thoracic Surgery, in partnership with Mayo Clinic, is the only surgical unit in the UAE that provides a full range of thoracic care from trauma, infection and pleural disease to cancer, including curative and palliative care. In addition, SSMC is a referral center for complex chest cases in hospitals and other specialties.
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