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Dubai: 37-year-old undergoes complex surgery to battle cervical cancer

She had a suppressed immune system due to a recent kidney surgery

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Jane Mendoza and Dr Sameh Aboamer

Published: Tue 5 Jul 2022, 2:57 PM

Last updated: Tue 5 Jul 2022, 2:58 PM

Jane Mendoza, a 37-year-old, had been experiencing severe pain in her cervix with excessive bleeding and anaemia for nearly four months.

When she couldn’t bear the pain, she was brought to Zulekha Hospital Dubai.

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Jane was diagnosed with invasive cervix uteri cancer by Dr Sameh Aboamer, Consultant Surgical Oncology at Zulekha Hospital Dubai.

With the complexity of having had a kidney transplant just two years ago, she was immunosuppressed and “her renal conditions prevented a proper MRI with contrast for tumour local staging,” Dr Aboamer said.

Her surgery was complex as she was on immunosuppressive and cytotoxic drugs to suppress the immune system and avoid kidney rejection. Her body was too weak to be able to fight any post-operative consequences.

On observation it was found Jane had two tumours in her cervix which led to a very advanced mass penetrating the colon and her rectal wall. Dr Aboamer said that her complexities were a major risk, yet they were successfully able to carry out "multiple procedures at the same time with tact".

The procedures she went through included a liver resection, surgical removal of posterior pelvic organs, type IV wertheim’s radical hysterectomy, with right ovarian preservation, low anterior resection (resection of her Rectum), colo-anal anastomosis (procedure to restore the continuity of her intestine and her bowel functions), and bilateral pelvic lymph nodes dissection. The surgery took over 5 hours.

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The surgical team including Dr Ajay Raj Gupta, Specialist Anaesthetist supported the complex procedure.

Dr Aboamer said that they had to be extra cautious in the management of the immunosuppressed patient with low healing capacity. “It was challenging also to do the lymph nodes dissection, working on the vessels of the transplanted kidney, which needed a very meticulous dissection on this precious pelvic kidney which was in the operative area,” said Dr Aboamer.

He added that Jane was required to radically resect her cancer with all the organs involved, with the safety of her transplanted pelvic kidney and its vessels and ureter. “We had to ensure her right ovarian preservation to maintain the hormonal functions in her young premenopausal age,” said the surgeon.

Jane was discharged six days after surgery, and she thanked the doctors and the hospital team for the right and timely diagnosis of her condition and for saving her life. Her recovery has been slow due to her complexities, yet she is healing well. Post-operative diagnosis showed the tumour had been cleared.

Dr Aboamer urged residents to undergo early screening of cervical cancer during early cellular changes and before the tumour develops.

“Early detection leads to easier minimal treatment with excellent results and high cure rates. The availability of the vaccination in UAE can save younger generations from the disease,” said Dr Aboamer.

Zulekha Hospital launched its 9th cervical awareness campaign this year on June 30, opening opportunities for free screening and consultations with specialists for two months at both hospitals in Dubai and Sharjah.

ayaz@khaleejtimes.com

Published: Tue 5 Jul 2022, 2:57 PM

Last updated: Tue 5 Jul 2022, 2:58 PM

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