King’s College Hospital Jeddah performs complex GIST surgery

SAUDI ARABIA—A specialized medical team at King’s College Hospital London—Jeddah has saved a patient’s life by performing one of the most complex gastrointestinal cancer surgeries in the region, removing a life-threatening giant gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST).

The intricate operation, led by Prof. Dr. Mohamed Hafez, Consultant Surgical Oncology, successfully removed a massive recurrent gastric tumor that posed an immediate threat to the patient’s survival.

The patient presented at the hospital suffering from severe chronic pain and dangerous internal bleeding caused by a tumor that had returned nearly 15 years after initial treatment.

This time, the growth had reached an alarming size of approximately 20 centimeters and had spread dangerously close to critical organs including the diaphragm, pancreas, and gastroesophageal junction.

The tumor’s location and size created an extremely delicate surgical challenge that demanded exceptional precision and expertise.

Medical tests revealed a troubling complication: the tumor showed complete resistance to standard drug therapies.

The patient failed to respond to Imatinib (Gleevec) even when doctors increased the dosage, and alternative medications caused intolerable side effects.

This left complete surgical removal as the only option to save the patient’s life.

The case presented significant risks due to multiple complicating factors.

The patient’s advanced age, existing heart condition, anemia, and severe adhesions from the previous surgery all increased surgical complexity considerably.

Recognizing these challenges, the hospital’s Multi-Disciplinary Team conducted a comprehensive review to develop a meticulous treatment strategy.

The planning phase involved coordinating an integrated team of specialists across numerous disciplines including oncology, gastrointestinal surgery, thoracic surgery, interventional radiology, anesthesia, pain management, intensive care, laboratory services, pathology, and clinical nutrition.

Additional specialists remained on standby throughout the procedure to address any unexpected complications.

Before surgery began, interventional radiologists performed a proactive procedure to embolize the splenic arteries, reducing the risk of excessive bleeding during the operation.

This step proved particularly crucial given the patient’s anemia and the confirmed need to remove the spleen due to tumor adhesion.

The operation proceeded exactly according to plan and lasted approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, significantly shorter than the anticipated five-hour duration.

Surgeons successfully removed the entire tumor while carefully preserving its extremely fragile capsule intact.

This preservation was critical, as any rupture could have changed the disease stage and dramatically increased recurrence risks.

During the procedure, laboratory technicians provided rapid frozen section analysis to confirm that surgical margins were completely clear of cancerous tissue.

The patient spent one precautionary day in intensive care before moving to the standard inpatient ward, where a multidisciplinary team managed his recovery including nutritional support, physiotherapy, and cardiac monitoring.

Remarkably, the patient was discharged after just six days, able to eat and drink normally without any surgical or medical complications.

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Hafez emphasized that this success stemmed from integrated teamwork rather than individual skill alone, encompassing accurate diagnosis, careful multidisciplinary planning, precise execution, and thorough postoperative care.

The medical team noted this achievement demonstrates that Saudi hospitals now possess the expertise and resources to handle the most complex cancer surgeries, making international medical travel a personal choice rather than a necessity.