Hospital completes 100 pancreatic cancer surgery

Coimbatore, feb 16 (PTI) A city hospital has recorded amilestone, notching up a century in Laparoscopic Whipple''ssurgery for curing pancreatic cancer, considered the deadliestamong the cancers.

The first such surgery was performed on a 32-year oldbusinessman from Dindigul in Tamil Nadu in 1998 and the 100thon a 61 year old woman from Delhi, a couple of days ago, Dr CPalanivelu, Director, Gem Hospital and Research Centre,told reporters here today.

Disproving the general concept that the patients operatedfor pancreatic cancer did not live beyond three to four yearsafter surgery, a patient, Shankar Subramanian, is survivingand leading normal life, with wife and two children, after 11years of the surgery, Palanivelu said.

Gem Hospital has performed the highest number of Whipples''Surgery (named after the first surgeon who attempted thesurgery) of which the record and data were published inJournal of Hepatobilory and Pancreatic Surgery in 2009,he said

The technique pioneered by Dr Palanivelu also won thesilver medal at the International Surgical Olympiad in 2009held at Phoenix, USA.

The 100th patient, Deesh Khurana was sufferingfrom stomach pain, jaundice and diabetes and was referred toGem by the doctors in Delhi. After performing the surgery, shewas not only cured of pancreatic cancer, but also forjaundice and diabetes, Palanivelu said.

Both the patients were present at the press meet.

A preliminary survey carried by Gem hospital revealedthat 55 of the 100 patients, who had undergone the surgery,are still healthy and details of others are being collected,Palanivelu said.