Doctor dwells on treating esophageal cancer

Chandigarh, November 29

Laparoscopy (also known as keyhole surgery or Laser surgery) for esophageal cancer gives better results than open surgery, said Dr Vijay Jagdish Jagad, Consultant, Surgical Oncology, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, while addressing the media here today.

He discussed the case of a 42-year-old man from Jammu who was treated with laparoscopic surgery for carcinoma esophagus. The patient was presented with inability to swallow solid food and difficulty to drink. He was first administered neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy as well as endoscopic guided Ryle’s tube insertion for nutritional management. The patient was then taken for a laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery for complete removal of the cancerous tissues. After the surgery, the patient recovered quickly.

Giving details about laparoscopic surgery, Dr Jagad said: “It entails the use of an advanced three-chip camera which works in prismatic fashion and reduces the contrast between tissues caused by colour difference. It also gives 10 times magnified image as compared to the naked eye, making tissue identification easy. Advanced laparoscopy with high definition monitors helps pinpoint precision of surgery. It also uses numerous energy sources during surgery that secures the blood vessel and helps in opening tissue planes with minimum bleeding.” — TNS