[IsraelNationalNews] In a historic medical achievement for Israel, a multidisciplinary team of surgeons from Clalit-Schneider Children’s Medical Center and Clalit-Beilinson Hospital, flagship institutions of Israel's largest healthcare organization Clalit, has successfully replaced half of a 15-year-old patient's pelvis using a custom-designed, 3D-printed titanium and advanced polymer implant.
The patient, Mark, traveled to Israel from Russia seeking advanced medical options. Diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma at age two, Mark had beaten cancer once before. However, at age 14, he faced a severe recurrence: osteosarcoma- a rare and aggressive bone cancer- in his pelvic region, accompanied by lung metastases.
Given the location and extensive spread across multiple pelvic bones, top global specialists initially classified the tumor as inoperable. Complete surgical removal is crucial for survival in osteosarcoma cases. Recognizing Israel’s world-class medical network, Mark’s mother brought him to Clalit-Schneider Children’s Medical Center. Following targeted chemotherapy led by Dr. Orli Michaeli, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Specialist, the lung metastases cleared, and the primary tumor shrank, but the structural surgical challenge remained immense.
Refusing to accept the "inoperable" diagnosis, a joint team of surgical experts from Clalit-Schneider and Clalit-Beilinson Hospital mobilized. After hundreds of hours of precise digital planning, the team embarked on a marathon 19-hour procedure, successfully resecting half the pelvis and replacing it with a pioneering 3D implant tailored specifically to Mark’s unique anatomy. |