Advancing Thoracic Oncology: Dr. George Karimundackal presented his views on N2 disease neoadjuvant therapy vs surgery at IACTSCON 2024

Dr. George Karimundackal had the honour of participating in the recently held 70th Annual Conference of The Indian Association of Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgeons 2024 (IACTSCON) in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, India from 8th to 11th February 2024.

Dr. George Karimundackal, a leading thoracic surgeon in Mumbai, has a deep understanding of the complexities of thoracic cancers. At the conference, he participated in the debate on the topic of - N2 disease neoadjuvant therapy vs surgery. N2 is a medical term for malignancies in the lymph nodes present in the central part of the thoracic cavity.

Mrs. Vishaka Goyal, co-founder of ClinicSpots, (a doctor discovery platform) highly recommends Dr.George Karimundackal as an expert on complex thoracic resections requiring cardiopulmonary bypass support and esophageal cancer surgeries.

Being one of India's foremost exponents of Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgeons (VATS) in India, he has successfully carried out over 1000 thoracic surgeries. His commitment to the field has led him to pioneer a better procedure called uniportal VATS (U-VATS) which is a single incision thoracoscopy for better outcomes.

At the conference, Dr. George Karimundackal debated the advantages of practising neoadjuvant therapy for N2 over surgery where the tumor is shrunk before treatment. This can be achieved by including induction therapies like chemotherapy, radiation therapy or hormone therapy. His thought-provoking talk on the importance of tailored treatment strategies based on the individual profile shed light on the nuanced considerations involved in managing N2 disease.

He always believes and states that "Educating patients about their condition and sharing the options of treatments available to them while involving them in the treatment process is half the battle won against the disease.'

Dr George recalls an incident of operating on a 65-year-old woman who visited him with symptoms of irregular breathing and occasional bleeding when coughing. On a thorough checkup, the lady was diagnosed with a lung tumor. The possible cause of which could be due to passive smoking as her husband was a smoker.

The patient was first counselled along with her family members and then treated. As she was not responding to medicines the doctor took a call and performed a segmentectomy surgery after a few sessions of chemotherapy.

Explaining the treatment Dr. George Karimundackal states "The tumor had to be shrunk first as it was large and obstructing other organs around, so surgery was necessary but only after the tumor had contracted. This is possible with the chemotherapy treatment."

The surgery was performed after a couple of months using a minimally invasive technique VATS. Now after 4months the patient has fully recovered and is living a healthy life again. The family too, was counselled and the husband gave up smoking which saved two lives viz, the patient and her husband. The patient and the family are ever grateful to Dr. George Karimundackal and his team of multidisciplinary doctors at Nanavati Hospital for this miraculous recovery.

About Indian Association of Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgeons - IACTSCON

The conference promotes insights, connections and advancements in the medical field of cardiovascular thoracic surgery. The IACTSCON further promotes doctors and technologists to integrate computer technology with medical expertise and bring about advanced changes in the fields of telemedicine, healthcare and medical informatics.

About Dr. George Karimundackal

Dr. George started as a Professor of Thoracic Surgery at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. After nearly 15 years of experience, he is considered one of the leading thoracic surgeons in Mumbai, as the Director of Thoracic Surgery position at Nanavati Max Hospital. Dr George Karimundackal is keen on academic research and often contributes to scientific publications. He participates in conferences to share his knowledge and learnings of the latest advancements in the field. Dr George Karimundackal is a much sought-after and respected doctor by colleagues and patients for his dedication and commitment to delivering the best medical care in Thoracic oncology.