The elderly patient was unable to eat due to a melon-sized tumour in her liver

Navi Mumbai, 6 October 2022: Sonabai Sawant 87-year-old woman from Karjat travelled to Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai with an MRI report of her liver. She was diagnosed with a tumour of melon size in the left lobe of her liver. A timely hepatectomy by a multidisciplinary team of doctors at Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai gave her a new lease of life. The massive tumour in her liver was compressing her stomach making her unable to eat. She was also thin and frail with a single kidney and hypertension making her health conditions critical and a high risk for surgery.

Dr Shailesh Sable, Lead Transplant Surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, said, “Her family was keen on improving her health condition and did not think of her age and co-morbidities as a limitation. She was at a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, her family wanted to get rid of the tumour as it was affecting her lifestyle significantly. With a lot of reluctance, I agreed to let her undergo the process of tumour evaluation and fitness tests which she passed effortlessly.”

After several iterations with a multidisciplinary team, she underwent a smooth surgery with no challenges during the surgery. The clinical team comprised Dr Shailesh Sable, Consultant, HPB & Liver Transplant Surgery, Dr Ketul Shah, Consultant, HPB & Liver Transplant Surgery, Dr Makrand Karpe, Clinical Associate, Surgical Oncology, Dr Deep Mashru, Clinical Associate, Surgical Oncology, Dr Ambreen Sawant, Anaesthetist, Dr Pinky, Anaesthetist, Dr Gunadhar Padhi, Consultant, Critical Care Specialist, Dr Suvadeep Sen, Consultant, Critical Care Specialist and the nursing and physiotherapy staff. She was put off intensive care and was on her foot on day two of post-surgery. A week later on her follow-up visit to the doctor, she brought indigenous sweets made by her.

Mr. Santosh Marathe, Regional CEO, said, “A lot can be learned from the elderly lady. She proves that age is just a number and that a positive attitude and active lifestyle along with an excellent clinical team can return one’s independence even at later stages in life. We are the first hospital in Western India to perform such a major Liver resection for liver cancer in an Sonabai Sawant 87 years patient. This is because Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology and clinical talent to undertake difficult surgeries and produce excellent outcomes.”