Kauvery Hospital Successfully Removes a Rare Tumor from a Major Blood Vessel Closely Associated with the Liver

• The tumor arising from the Inferior Vena Cava was 10*10 cm

• The incidence of this type of cancer is One in One hundred thousand of adult cancers in India

Kauvery Hospital, one of the leading healthcare chains in Tamil Nadu, successfully removed a tumor from the inferior vena cava (the largest vein in the body that passes through the liver), of a 56-year-old woman from Salem.

Speaking about the patient, Dr. K Elankumaran, Head of Liver Diseases Transplantation & Hepatobiliary Surgery, Kauvery Hospital Chennai said, "The woman complained of indigestion and abdominal pain. When an ultrasound scan was done, a tumor was found, growing in a major vein, closely associated with the liver. This was a rare type, measuring 10*10 cms. It required immediate removal to avoid complications which otherwise might turn fatal."

Liver Cancers or tumors generally occur when the tumor arises from another organ such as colon, lung, intestine and spreads to the liver (metastasis). However, there are instances of primary liver cancers, where the tumor grows from the organ itself and later spreads to other organs in the body, turning fatal if not diagnosed and treated in time.

This kind of tumor is rare, and contributes to 1 in 1 lakh of adult cancers. When diagnosed it would need major surgical resection for better outcome and survival. The procedure also involved grafting of the vessel, which demands a deft, delicate and dexterous vascular surgical procedure. "The patient underwent surgery, and the tumor along with a portion of the inferior vena cava was removed. Since the major vessel was affected by the tumor, we had no option but to remove a portion of it and restore continuity through a vascular graft. The whole procedure took 10 hours, and within a week, the woman was fit for discharge," explained Prof. Dr. N Sekar Natarajan, Senior Consultant Vascular Surgeon, Kauvery Hospital Chennai.

The team of Liver Transplantation & Hepatobiliary Surgery at Kauvery Hospital, Chennai, includes highly qualified surgeons and supporting physicians who are exceptionally skilled, and trained as per the international standards. Speaking on the successful management, Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-founder and Executive Director Kauvery Hospital Chennai, said, "Liver diseases are one of the leading causes of death in India. A highly specialized and totally dedicated team is essential to arrive at the right diagnosis and treatment to such patients whose life is at risk. Kauvery Hospitals are home to such outstanding teams, who are supported with our state of the art infrastructure. I congratulate Prof. Dr. N Sekar, Dr. K Elankumaran, and team for successfully treating this very challenging disease."