The National Cancer Institute in Warsaw recently performed two procedures that should be regarded as pioneering medical achievements. Both took place during the Warsaw Live Endoscopy (WLE) conference, and the work of the surgical teams was followed live by nearly 450 people.
Pioneering endoscopic procedures at NIO-PIB
Published Oct. 31, 2024 08:18
fot. Piotr Wójcik
The first procedure was an endoscopic intramuscular dissection of cancer in the distal rectum, performed by Prof. Michal Spychalski, who directs the Center for Procedural and Bariatric Endoscopy in Brzeziny on a daily basis.
- Until now, in the case of cancer close to the sphincter, surgery was the only option, often leading to the need for a lifelong stoma. Thanks to modern endoscopic technique, it was possible to remove the lesion with a safety margin, without damaging the sphincter. The patient was discharged home the very next day after the procedure without any discomfort," explains Prof. Michal F. Kaminski, co-organizer of WLE, who operates using the endoscopic method at NIO-PIB on a daily basis.
Endoscopy, however, is not only an opportunity for oncology patients. A second pioneering procedure was performed to treat a refractory fistula that is a complication after bariatric surgery. The regenerative endoscopy procedure was performed by Professor Ivo Boskoski of the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic in Rome. The patient who underwent the procedure was in very poor health, and previous treatments had failed. The alternative was a mutilating surgical treatment involving resection of part of the esophagus, stomach and spleen. The patient's hope just turned out to be endoscopy
- During the workshop, an innovative method of regenerative endoscopy, used so far in the only center in the world - in Rome - fat and stem cell transplantation was used. The procedure was successful and there were no complications. Full results are expected in the coming weeks, explains Professor Jaroslaw Regula, Head of the Oncology Gastroenterology Department and member of the organizing committee of the Warsaw Live Endoscopy conference.
For the patient, endoscopy is first and foremost a quick recovery, a short procedure time and a very low risk of complications. This is a real revolution in surgical treatment At the National Cancer Institute, about 1.6 thousand therapeutic endoscopies are performed annually, while all endoscopic examinations are carried out about 10 thousand. Many of them are an opportunity for patients to recover quickly.
