The unique experience of LISOD: safeguarding women's health

One of the events we would like to share about is a Plenary Meeting of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Ukraine and a scientific and practical conference with international participation "Reproductive Health in Ukraine: Trends, Achievements, Challenges and Priorities".

The event took place in Kiev. For 20 years, such events have been gathering practicing obstetricians-gynecologists, scientists and teachers from all the regions of Ukraine. Traditionally, colleagues from other countries come as well to share the latest news and achievements in the profession.

The oncologist, surgeon, deputy chief medical officer on surgical work of Hospital of Israeli oncology LISOD Sergei Baido was invited to talk about a unique experience of performing laparoscopic cytoreductive surgeries.

“We presented our experience in laparoscopic treatment of advanced stages of ovarian cancer - namely, the third stage, which requires extensive, volumetric surgery, usually with resections of several organs, removal of tumors that are spread over the abdomen. Such an approach plus chemotherapy increases the number of recovering patients more than twice – Sergey Viktorovich said after the report. – But, as a rule, it is very difficult to organize this primary surgery, because pure gynecologists have poor knowledge of surgeries on other adnexa - the bladder, intestine, peritoneum, liver and so on - and, accordingly, they cannot perform surgery in large volumes, if these organs are involved and target affected. And to organize a multidisciplinary surgical team for one patient including a vascular surgeon, a colorectal surgeon, an urologist, a gynecologist for one surgery – this is inadmissible staffing luxury, it is difficult to organize it from technological point of view. And it is the same all over the world, not only in the post-Soviet space. For example, in the west such patients are dealt with in highly specialized centers of so-called peritoneal carcinomatosis - and there are either unique surgeons operating in all zones, or there is a team of three or four surgeons who perform 10-12-hour surgeries. The problem is to organize such a help even in the usual way, and as of today it is performed nowhere on the planet laparoscopically, as far as I know from the analysis of literature, speeches and acquaintances with profile colleagues who are considered as specialists in peritoneal carcinomatosis, deal with ovarian cancer treatment, cytoreductive surgeries – they do it all openly. And it is considered that it is impossible to perform such surgeries laparoscopically.”

But it so happened that in LISOD Hospital near Kiev a unique team of specialists who are the only ones on the planet who conduct such surgeries, has gathered. As of today, if counted from 2011, our experience is performing of more than one and a half hundred surgeries to remove ovarian cancer, of which about 10-15% is super-advanced, the patients are considered inoperable even in the open version. And we not just do it, we do it laparoscopically. Simple cytoreductions with a small spread of ovarian cancer are performed laparoscopically by several surgeons on the planet, and advanced ones, as in stage 3c, are just by us.And this is the uniqueness and plus for Ukrainian ladies that they can solve such a problem. Not only does the cytoreduction itself increase the chances of a five-year survival and recovery from the advanced stage of ovarian cancer, the surgery can still be performed by minimally invasive access, which does not lead to long hospitalization and large postoperative complications associated with wounds and sepsis. Accordingly, it is possible to receive the necessary chemotherapy within a couple of weeks after surgery, and after a normal surgery it takes 1.5-2 monthsfor rehabilitation. Because if you give chemotherapy to an unhealed completely postoperative wound, it will heal very long - this is a big problem. At the same time, the earlier chemotherapy begins, the more chances to defeat the disease.

The audience took Sergei Baido's report very warmly. There were a lot of questions, surprise, and admiration. Alla Boichuk, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Postgraduate Education of Ternopil State Medical University, shared her opinion on the presented experience: “Today I am delighted with the presentation of Dr. Baido, because it is a pride for Ukraine, that there are such surgeons who perform surgeries of this type first in the world. It is not only a fine, high-quality surgeon, but also an intellectually highly developed personality. The report is admired by the fact that in Ukraine people can improve themselves so much, use their knowledge and skills and help people who need such high-tech help.I wish prosperity to LISOD Hospital, and good predictions in treatment and rehabilitation to those patients who address them!”