Tumour suctioned from vein to allow minimally invasive kidney surgery

Physicians at Henry Ford Hospital successfully suctioned a cancerous tumor from a major vein in a patient with metastatic kidney cancer, clearing the way for him to undergo a minimally-invasive kidney removal. This allowed him to participate in a clinical trial using genetic material from his tumor to produce a vaccine to help fight his metastatic disease.
It was the first time such use was made of the AngioVac, a device which employs large suction catheters to filter blood through a cardiac bypass machine and remove clots, tumors or other foreign material.
“This is a very exciting new way to treat these tumors,” says Craig Rogers, M.D., the Henry Ford urologist and surgeon who led the multidisciplinary team in this endeavor.
“Of the 50,000 to 60,000 new cases of kidney cancer diagnosed each year in the United States alone, about a third will be metastatic – advanced beyond the kidney.”
“Until now, these patients with complex tumors involving the major vessels have not had a lot of options. The AngioVac procedure offers one.”

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News via Medical Xpress. Read more here.