GEORGETOWN, Guyana - The first pediatric liver resection was performed here on Thursday, May 23, on an 18-month-old female patient who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive pediatric liver cancer known as hepatoblastoma.
In a statement on Friday, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) announced the successful completion of the surgery.
The patient’s journey began with a diagnosis of the large, aggressive tumor, which prompted the formation of a multidisciplinary team led by Guyanese Pediatric Surgeon, Dr. Marisa Seepersaud.
Treatment commenced with a series of chemotherapy sessions, administered by GPHC’s oncologist, Dr. Kandacy Archer, and her team.
The hospital said the radiology team, led by Dr. Richard Vyphuis, meticulously monitored the tumour’s response to treatment and after five chemotherapy sessions, the tumour shrunk by approximately 50%, making surgical removal a viable option.
Given the unprecedented nature of the procedure in Guyana, two hepatobiliary specialists were invited to assist the local team in performing the complex surgery, which involved removing about half of the baby’s liver.
Also assisting was the Head of Pediatric Surgery and Liver Transplant at Bustamante Hospital for Children in Jamaica, Dr. Colin Abel and Professor Steven Dunn, Pediatric Surgeon and Head of Solid Organ Transplant at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Delaware, in the United States.
“The surgery was a formidable undertaking involving many complex and critical steps and equipment,” stated Seepersaud, the local lead pediatric surgeon. The patient’s mother expressed confidence in the team’s management and consented to the surgery.
The nine-hour operation concluded with the complete resection of the tumour, following which Seepersaud expressed her gratitude to the GPHC administration for their swift response in facilitating the assistance of the visiting surgeons.
“Both Dr. Abel and Professor Dunn have shown interest in continuing their support for the Pediatric Surgical department, an offer for which the Pediatric Department is immensely grateful.
“GPHC takes pride in the dedication and commitment of the local team, who collaborated across multiple specialties to ensure a successful outcome. The pediatric surgical, nursing and anesthetic team performed exceptionally well, despite the unprecedented nature of the case in Guyana.”
The pediatric critical care team continues to monitor the baby, who is expected to be discharged soon. Due to the liver’s regenerative capacity, the patient is anticipated to have normal liver function as she grows. Mortality rates for major liver resection surgeries range from 5% in developed countries to as high as 31% in less experienced regions, the hospital said in its statement.
The duration from admission, diagnosis, treatment, and surgery was ten weeks at GPHC.
Additionally, two other pediatric patients with uncommon tumours also benefited from surgeries during the team’s visit. A one-year-old female and an eight-month-old female, both with large sacrococcygeal teratomas (SCT), have been successfully treated and discharged.
The GPHC administration has also expressed interest in future collaborations to benefit Guyanese children requiring surgical care.
