retention of legs for 10-year-old child with bone cancer
Patient K.P.M (10 years old, Ha Nhi ethnic group, from Dien Bien) was admitted to K's hospital with prolonged swelling and pain in the left thigh, making it difficult to walk. Through examination and MRI results, doctors determined that the patient had osteosarcoma of the left lower thigh bone - a type of malignant bone cancer commonly found in children. The tumor was up to 12x9cm in size, eroding the bone shell and spreading to soft tissue.
With a weak physical condition and difficult family circumstances, doctors at K Hospital determined to keep the legs of the child patient with preservation methods instead of cutting the tail - a common practice in the treatment of advanced bone cancer.
A turning point in treating bone cancer for limb conservation
This is the first time at K Hospital and also the first time in Vietnam that a prosthetic knee replacement surgery with a growth mechanism has been performed for children with bone cancer. This special device allows for future leg extension with minimal intervention, avoiding a long and short leg deviation when the child grows up.
The surgery took place over 4 hours, the doctors cut the damaged bone to 16cm long and replaced it with a magnet-controlled growth knee joint system. To perform this surgery, K Hospital coordinated to import equipment from abroad, and mobilized benefactors to pay the surgical costs for the patient's family.
Currently, the child has recovered well after surgery, the surgical wound is dry, there are no complications, he has started to walk gently and will continue to recover his functions. In the future, he will be given intervention to adjust the length of the joint to develop balance with the other leg.
Sharing about the surgery, Dr. Hoang Tuan Anh - Head of the Department of Musculoskeletal and Surgery said: "Growing joints not only helps retain children's legs but also preserves the ability to develop later - which is extremely important for children. This is an important milestone, affirming the in-depth capacity and humane direction of K Hospital in treating bone cancer".
The successful implementation of growth joint replacement techniques is a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary consultation (MTB) model that K Hospital is implementing, where doctors in surgery, pediatrics, pathology, imaging diagnosis... coordinate to provide the most optimal treatment regimen.
The successful surgery is not only a joy for a child patient but also the beginning of the journey to preserve limbs in children with cancer - something that was once considered a distant thing in Vietnam.
