Thuy N. in the arms of parents. Photo: provided by the Hospital
Previously, pediatric patient Tran Nguyen Thuy N. (Kon Tum) was admitted to Hue Central Hospital at just 7 months old, with a distended abdomen, vomiting after feeding, and was diagnosed with bilateral nephroblastoma with large-sized tumors.
Here, the child went through multidisciplinary consultations at the hospital and online consultations with international experts. The child continued to receive chemotherapy at Hue Central Hospital to shrink the tumor before surgery. After that, she had a second online consultation with the Comprehensive Cancer Center of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Through consultation, the experts determined that this was a complicated case, the partial nephrectomy surgery would not be simple, and there would be many risks after surgery. Hence, they decided to take the patient to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for surgery. This is one of the best Pediatric Cancer Centers in the US. All expenses for surgery, accommodation, and travel for the child and parents were sponsored by the Center.
At the St. Jude’s Center, due to complications of severe coagulopathy, it was impossible to close the abdominal cavity immediately after surgery for the patient. However, with the intensive care of the postoperative recovery team from the Center, the patient recovered after nearly one month of treatment. The successful surgery and postoperative treatment helped to preserve ½ of the right kidney and ¾ of the left kidney of the child. On the morning of April 11, Thuy Ng. returned to Vietnam with her parents.
According to doctors of Hue Central Hospital, nephroblastoma is the most common malignant tumor among primary kidney tumors in children. In particular, bilateral nephroblastoma accounts for only a small proportion, about 5% of nephroblastoma.
Treatment of nephroblastoma requires multidisciplinary coordination: chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy. Specifically, surgical removal of the tumor plays a significant role, especially in the technique of partial nephrectomy. With bilateral nephroblastoma, partial nephrectomy is a very complex procedure and requires a lot of experience. Without preserving the kidney, the patient can have kidney failure and death. If surgery is successful, the survival rate can be as high as 80%.
The success in partial nephrectomny for patient Thuy N. is a great joy for the family and a milestone that opens up more opportunities for other patients, from the international cooperation between Hue Central Hospital and partners around the world.
Dong Van