The Department of Cancer Surgery at Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, affiliated with Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College, Raipur, has achieved another significant medical milestone by successfully performing a complex surgery on a patient suffering from a rare and life-threatening chest cancer.
A 29-year-old male patient was diagnosed with mediastinal germ cell tumor, a rare form of cancer located in the central part of the chest. The patient was admitted with complaints of a chest mass, breathing difficulty, and persistent pain.
Providing details of the case, Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, Head of the Cancer Surgery Department, said the patient had earlier been undergoing treatment at the Cancer Department of AIIMS Raipur, where a biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Initial investigations revealed a large tumor measuring approximately 13 × 18 × 16 cm, located in the mediastinum and closely attached to major blood vessels near the heart, making surgical intervention extremely high-risk.
Considering the complexity, doctors at AIIMS Raipur first opted for chemotherapy. Between January and June 2025, the patient underwent six cycles of chemotherapy, which successfully reduced the tumor size to 4 × 3 × 4 cm. Following this response, the patient was referred to Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital for surgical management.
After thoroughly reviewing all diagnostic reports, Dr. Ashutosh Gupta decided to proceed with surgery. Given the tumor’s sensitive location, consultations were held with the Head of the Cardiac Surgery Department, and surgical fitness was obtained from the Department of Anaesthesia.
The highly complex surgery lasted approximately three to four hours, during which the tumor was meticulously removed along with a small portion of the patient’s left lung. The operation was completed successfully without complications.
