‘Am I dreaming?’: Double lung transplant saved 2 people with terminal cancer

CNN
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Chicago’s Northwestern Medicine said Wednesday that two people with stage IV lung cancer who were told they had weeks or months to live are breathing freely after receiving double lung transplants. rice field.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.of The American Cancer Society reports that more than 127,000 Americans He died of illness this year.

If, apart from the primary tumor, additional tumors have developed in the lungs or if the cancer has spread to more organs, it is considered stage IV.

Treatment options for people diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer are limited, says Northwestern Medicine. Double lung transplantation offers a potentially life-saving option for some people with a poor prognosis, but doctors say there are certain criteria lung cancer patients must meet.

In 2020, 54-year-old Albert Khoury of Chicago received a devastating diagnosis of lung cancer.

Corey, a cement finisher for the Chicago Transit Authority, had back pain, sneezing, chills, and coughing up blood. According to Northwestern MedicineIt was around the time the Covid-19 pandemic started, so he initially thought he had coronavirus-related symptoms.

He was soon diagnosed with stage I lung cancer.

Due to the pandemic, Khoury did not start treatment until July 2020. At that point, the cancer progressed to stage II, continued to grow, and finally reached stage IV. He was told to consider hospice.

“I had weeks to live,” Corey said in a video released by the hospital. “I don’t have much time.”

His sister suggested contacting Northwestern Medicine for a possible double lung transplant.

“I need new lungs. It’s my only hope for life,” Corey told the doctor.

He saw an oncologist at Northwestern Medicine and was told to try additional treatments first. But soon he was admitted to the intensive care unit with pneumonia and sepsis.

As his health deteriorated, the oncologist began considering a rarely used procedure.

According to Dr. Ankit Bharat, director of thoracic surgery, transplants are generally for people with some form of lung cancer that has not spread to other parts of the body, and those who have a life expectancy after all other treatments have been tried. is considered for those with limited At the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute, which helped treat Khoury.

William Dahat, Chief Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society, also pointed out the importance of keeping cancer from spreading. on other parts of the body before transplanting.

“We need to be as sure as possible that the cancer is confined to the lungs, so we need to do all sorts of extensive screening tests to make sure there are no cancer cells outside the lungs. Yes,” said Dahut. Neither is involved in the care of patients in the Northwest.

An oncologist decided that Khoury was eligible for surgery. In September 2021, he spent about seven hours in surgery.

“The surgeons had to be extremely careful not to let the trillions of cancer cells from the old lung escape into Khoury’s chest cavity and bloodstream.

Surgery is not without risks, Bharat said. Patients with terminal cancer are always at risk of recurrence after surgery.

“There’s certainly a risk that they could end up in a worse situation than they were before,” he said. “So if you have major surgery, the cancer can come back very quickly.”

Another risk, Dr. Dahut said, is the treatment required after transplantation.

All lung transplant recipients must take medication to weaken their immune system. This helps reduce the chances of the body rejecting the organ, but it also reduces its ability to fight off infection. According to the National Cancer Institute.

“Any drug that actually suppresses the immune system puts you at risk for infection afterwards, but you might even put yourself at risk for a second cancer afterwards,” Daft said.

But 18 months later, Khoury is back at work without any complications.

His doctor showed him a chest x-ray, which showed no signs of cancer. “I believed him when I saw that x-ray.” Corey said. “My body is now in my hands.”

Procedure tested again Last year, this time it was a 64-year-old woman from Minnesota.

Ameri Tannaz, a former nurse from Minneapolis, had a persistent cough for months. Doctors took her chest X-ray and diagnosed her with pneumonia.

His illness lasted until January 2022 when he was told he had stage IV lung cancer.

“There was no hope in my life at that point. They gave me … three months,” Amelie said in a video released by Northwestern Medicine.

She failed chemotherapy treatments and was told to consider hospice.

“I had no hope. I was ready for my life to end,” she said.

However, her husband contacted Northwestern Medicine about transplant options. An oncologist found Amélie to be fit and underwent a double lung transplant in July.

She wondered when she was told the surgery had cleared her cancer. can it happen? And so it happened. ”

Amelie has no comorbidities.

Double lung transplantation for cancer is rare, Bharat said, because of concerns that the cancer might come back.

Historically, surgery required serial transplants, but he said he’s trying to change his approach to lower the risk of recurrence.

“Typically, in a double lung transplant procedure, one lung is removed and a new lung is inserted, then a second lung is removed and a second lung is inserted.” When you take it out and transplant the new lung, the other lung is still attached and can get a secondary infection … cancer cells can spread into the bloodstream.”

When cancer cells cross-contaminate or enter the bloodstream, the risk of the cancer coming back increases.

Bharat and his team took a different approach to Cory and Ameri. They opened the chest cavity and completely bypassed the heart and lungs.

“Essentially, what it means is that the blood doesn’t go through the heart and lungs, it bypasses all of them,” Bharat said. and prevent cancer cells from entering the bloodstream from the lungs.”