Noida: A 72-year-old man with a cancerous liver tumour measuring 10-12 cm underwent a laparoscopic right hepatectomy at a private hospital in Noida, avoiding a large surgical incision.In cases of advanced liver tumours complicated by cirrhosis, treatment can be challenging and, in select patients, may involve consideration of a liver transplant. The six- to seven-hour procedure, performed in June at Yatharth Super Speciality Hospital, Omega-1, involved removing the right lobe of the liver, a procedure known as laparoscopic right hepatectomy.The patient, Manohar Singh, a resident of Dhanoli in Agra, had been experiencing abdominal pain for around nine months before he was admitted to the hospital in the second week of June. A triple-phase CT scan revealed an irregularly shaped tumour in the right lobe of his liver, classified as stage III.“The surgery was completed without major complications, with an estimated blood loss of around 200ml. Examination of the removed tissue confirmed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, with no cancer cells found at the surgical margins. The case posed additional challenges because of the patient’s age and underlying cirrhosis, a condition that can impair liver function and complicate major surgery. His diabetes and hypertension also required consideration while assessing his fitness for the procedure,” senior director and head of robotic and laparoscopic surgery at Yatharth Hospital, Dr Manoj Gupta, said.Doctors evaluated his cardiac and pulmonary function and the functional capacity of the liver expected to remain after surgery before proceeding with the operation. “The surgical team performed a diagnostic laparoscopy, removed the affected portion of the liver and carried out a cholecystectomy, or gallbladder removal, during the same procedure. Liver resection involves removing the diseased portion of the organ, while laparoscopic surgery uses small incisions and specialised instruments instead of the large incision generally associated with open surgery. Its suitability depends on factors such as tumour location, extent of disease, liver function and the patient’s overall health,” he added.Following the surgery, Singh was kept in the intensive care unit for two days and taken off ventilator support on June 17. He showed improvement over the next four to five days, according to the hospital. Doctors said he currently does not require additional cancer treatment.
