UAE: 76-year-old woman beats rare, aggressive stomach cancer

A 76-year-old woman has successfully overcome a rare and aggressive form of stomach cancer. She was diagnosed with neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), a type of cancer that's extremely rare, affecting less than 1 per cent of stomach cancer cases.

She initially went to SEHA hospital in Abu Dhabi for stomach pains, and her CT scan results revealed a malignant gastric ulcer and a lesion in her liver. Likewise, her biopsy confirmed the presence of a high-grade, aggressive tumour.

The tumour had a Ki-67 proliferation index reaching 90 per cent, which indicates how quickly cancer cells are dividing. A Ki-67 proliferation index of over 30 per cent is considered high.

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The treatment plan for the patient involved a collaborative approach, starting with pre-operative nutritional support through a feeding tube to enhance the patient’s overall health before surgery. The surgery itself was minimally invasive and mainly focused on removing all cancerous tissue. Once the surgery was done, a detailed histopathology analysis confirmed the tumour type and its spread, guiding the doctors the next steps in treatment.

Doctors said the woman's case underscored SEHA’s multidisciplinary approach in the diagnosis and management of such rare and challenging diseases.

“This case underscores the need for a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach in managing rare and challenging malignancies," said Dr Solomon Kuruvilla P John, a leading specialist that handled the patient's surgery.

"This case report highlights the importance of thorough workup, evidence-based decision making, and comprehensive treatment planning to optimise patient outcomes," he added.

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