Another first in Sri Lanka

Doctors at the Karapitiya GH successfully save baby suffering from cancer

For the first time in Sri Lanka, a one-and-half-year-old girl, whose cancer-ridden humerus bone has successfully been replaced after destroying the cancer cells using a high dose of radiotherapy by Specialists at the Karapitiya General Hospital. 

The remarkable surgery had lasted about eight and a half hours. 
Consultant Pediatric Surgeon Dr Janath Liyanage at Karapitya and Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon Dr Kaushal Karunarathne at Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital had carried out the surgery.

The baby girl had cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma in her humerus. 
Therefore she had undergone chemotherapy treatment for several months. When the treatment had not been effective, the consultants decided to perform a surgery without amputating her hand. 

Generally, for someone who has that kind of cancer, doctors recommend amputation of the limb, according to Dr Janath Liyanage.
“Fortunately, after combatting with remarkable surgery the baby is recovering at ICU under the care of consultant paediatricians Dr Pradeep and Dr Deshapriya at Karapitiya,” he said.

“The baby’s fingers of the hand that had undergone surgery, are working properly. The blood flow of the vessels of the hand has set in,” he said.