Doctors at Hà Nội Oncology Hospital perform the surgery to remove the entire stomach tube and reconstruct the oesophagus using a segment of colon for a patient with a history of esophagectomy due to cancer. — Photo courtesy of the hospital

HÀ NỘI — Doctors at Hà Nội Oncology Hospital have successfully performed surgery to remove the entire stomach tube and reconstruct the oesophagus using a segment of colon for a patient with a history of esophagectomy due to cancer.

The 51-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with stage III oesophageal cancer in 2019, had undergone radical chemotherapy and radiotherapy, esophagectomy, lymph node dissection and esophagoplasty with a gastric tube.

During a recent routine check-up, a malignant lesion was found in the gastric tube, the site previously used for the anastomosis.

Upon admission to Hà Nội Oncology Hospital, doctors diagnosed the patient with cT3N0M0 gastric cancer, considering his previous treatment for oesophageal cancer.

To ensure thorough treatment, doctors proposed a plan to remove the entire stomach tube, perform radical lymph node dissection and reconstruct the oesophagus using a segment of the left colon.

During surgery, doctors brought the colon up into the chest and neck to connect it to the remaining part of the oesophagus, completely replacing the digestive function of the removed stomach.

The patient was able to eat again soon and he was discharged after eight days of inpatient treatment. — Photo courtesy of the hospital

According to Deputy Director of the hospital and Head of the Department of General Surgery Dr Lê Văn Thành this was a complex surgical technique requiring close coordination between teams, including digestive surgery, anaesthesia, resuscitation and post-operative care.

“Creating a food tract using the colon not only requires ensuring the length and good blood circulation of the graft but also taking into account factors related to the anatomical structure that has been changed due to the previous surgery,” said Dr Thành.

The patient recovered well after surgery. He was able to eat again soon and his general condition was stable. He was discharged after eight days of inpatient treatment. The post-operative pathology results showed stage III gastric cancer. The patient will continue to receive adjuvant chemotherapy to improve overall treatment effectiveness.

Surgery not only helps to completely remove the cancerous mass but also maintains the patient’s natural eating and digestion functions, avoiding the need for a colostomy or the use of long-term alternative nutrition methods. This is a key factor in improving quality of life after cancer treatment, according to Dr Thành.

The successful implementation of oesophageal reconstruction surgery using colon marks a new step forward in the professional capacity of the medical team at Hà Nội Oncology Hospital.

Not only focusing on cancer treatment, the hospital also aims to ensure the patient’s life function, quality of life and ability to reintegrate into society after treatment, a humane factor increasingly emphasised in modern medicine. — VNS