Case 8
CASE DESCRIPTION
A 69-year-old diagnosed with recurrent retroperitoneal sarcoma. The patient underwent multiple surgeries outside with no response to chemotherapy over the last 18 months . With gross disease recurrence and with failure to thrive, she was distressed. The only way to comfort her was to perform one more surgery with a high chance of recurrence. The challenge for surgery was that she was very weak.
Consultation and diagnosis
Prompt and accurate diagnosis made in-house
Tumour board
A multi-disciplinary team deliberated on action
Individualized care
Patient’s mental makeup taken into consideration
Modular care
A suite of therapies that contribute to holistic healing
WHAT WE DID
After discussion, we planned to operate after optimization only to give a good quality of life as a human being. We could successfully operate on her with a 12 kg retroperitoneal mass.
- Tumour board involved
- Optimised patient condition
- Quality of life given
- Successful surgery
FINAL RESULTS
Postoperatively, she recovered well. She had a good 4-6 month postoperative care with mobility and eating well. After 6 months, she had a recurrence and she succumbed. Those 6 months of relief we provided her helped relatives prepare themself for accepting the inevitable
Learning: Acceptance in life is a very important factor for completion. Relatives had a sense of satisfaction that they did whatever best they could do. A personalised approach takes into consideration science, and most importantly, humanity. Blending spirituality with science can give you satisfaction and peace. At the same time, it should be acceptable and affordable.
