An x-ray taken of an 83-year-old patient with recurrent colorectal cancer who had self-expandable metal stents placed by doctors at the Military Hospital 175 in HCM City to treat his malignant colorectal obstruction. Photo Courtesy of the hospital

HCM CITY — Doctors at the gastroenterology department at HCM City’s Military Hospital 175 have successfully placed self-expandable metal stents in a 83-year-old patient with recurrent colorectal cancer to treat malignant colorectal obstruction.

This technique has been used for the first time in the southern region, they said.  

The patient had been hospitalised with severe abdominal pain, abdominal distension and absence of bowel movements and/or flatus. 

In March he had surgery for colorectal cancer, but the cancer recurred a month ago.     

After the self-expandable metal stents were placed, his condition improved and he was discharged a week later.

According to the doctors, the technique is popular in Europe, Japan and South Koreas and replaces emergency surgery to reduce the risks of mortality and complications.

It offers one more option for patients with colorectal cancer who are unable to have surgery, they said.

According to Globcan 2020, the database published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, colorectal cancer is among the five most common in Việt Nam, accounting for 9 per cent of the 182,563 new cases last year. VNS