High-risk surgery at Addenbrooke’s on teen with testicular cancer features on BBC Two’s Surgeons: At the Edge of Life
High-risk surgery at Addenbrooke’s Hospital on a teenager treated for testicular cancer will be featured on the latest episode of BBC Two’s Surgeons: At the Edge of Life.
The fourth episode of the series, showing at 9pm on Wednesday (February 8), introduces 19-year-old Jamie, who discovered he had cancer eight months ago and had to have a testicle removed.
Doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes - part of the body’s immune system and crucial for fighting infection.
Jamie has had multiple courses of chemotherapy but scans have shown he still has a large lymph node mass. There is no way for doctors to know if it is still cancerous, meaning major surgery to remove it is the only option.
But it is a risky and complex procedure as the swollen lymph node is stuck to part of his small bowel and a major blood vessel. Damaging either could cause life-threatening complications.
Leading urology consultants Jim Armitage and Tony Riddick, who have been working closely for more than 10 years, aim to remove the mass from deep within Jamie’s abdomen.
The episode also features 40-year old Sam who was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis as a child –– an incurable genetic disorder that causes tumours to grow from nerves around the body.
Sam has had numerous tumours removed in operations over the years, but now he faces his toughest challenge yet.
The father-of-three has two tumours growing in his neck, including one growing within the spinal canal, dangerously close to the spinal cord. Ig these aren’t removed, they could cause paralysis.
This operation is the most high-risk procedure Sam has had so far as the smallest mistake this close to the spinal cord, means Sam could be permanently paralysed.
But Riki’s skills are so specialised that he is involved in training the next generation of surgeons. He is assisted in theatre by neurosurgical fellow Samir Matloob.
You can follow Jamie and Sam’s stories in the episide, produced by Dragonfly Film & TV, a Banijay UK company).
