He will continue his life without half of his body.

One of the rare 'Hemicorporectomy' surgeries performed worldwide, which is only applied to 70 people, was carried out two months ago at Sakarya Training and Research Hospital. 65-year-old retired teacher Tuncer Poşluk was freed from his tumor after this challenging 13-hour surgery, which resulted in the removal of his lower body, and he became the 8th survivor in the world and an unprecedented case in Turkey.

Poşluk, who had a large coccygeal tumor that could not be treated in Istanbul, found a chance to regain his health with the rarely performed 'Hemicorporectomy' operation after the examinations conducted at SEAH. During the surgery, his lower body was separated from his body along with the tumor and surrounding organs. After a successful surgery, Poşluk, who was treated in intensive care for 40 days, is now continuing his treatment in the orthopedics department after being transferred to the ward. Poşluk, who will now continue his life without half of his body, owes this process to the team that saved him from death.

The success of the operation was significantly contributed by Mustafa Erkan İnanmaz and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fevzi Sağlam from the Orthopedics Department, Prof. Dr. Fatih Altıntoprak and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Necattin Fırat from the General Surgery Department, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Saçlı from the Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hacı İbrahim Çimen from the Urology Department, and Prof. Dr. Ali Fuat Erdem, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Balaban, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Havva Kocayiğit from the Anesthesia and Reanimation Department.

"WE REMOVED 45% OF THE PATIENT'S BODY DURING THE 13-HOUR SURGERY"

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fevzi Sağlam, who works in the Orthopedics Department, stated that the patient came with a cancer diagnosis originating from the coccyx, saying, "Of course, this cancer did not remain only in the coccyx; it affected the patient's pelvic bones, bladder, all the hip muscles, and part of the intestines. It had completely involved the important arteries that supply the leg. However, the fortunate aspect of this unfortunate situation for the patient was that this cancer was limited to this area, and there was no spread to another organ, which was crucial for us when planning the treatment. The patient had actually applied to many large centers in many major cities, both private and public hospitals, but due to the size of the mass and the organs it had invaded, a diagnosis was made that no surgical treatment could be performed. After the patient came to us, we repeated the necessary tests and imaging. We re-evaluated the patient in our Orthopedic Oncology Council. We honestly pondered how we could treat this patient and save him from this cancer.

Then we decided to perform the surgery known as 'Hemicorporectomy,' which is one of the very rare surgeries performed worldwide, where we completely cut off the lower body and separate the tumor along with the affected organs. Of course, this is a difficult surgery, and it could really cost the patient his life during the surgery. We discussed all of this with the family and the patient multiple times because it is a very rarely performed surgery. However, we indicated that if it goes well, we believe that our patient would be cured of this cancer. After a certain period of consideration, the patient and his family gave their consent for this surgery. This is a team effort, and in this team; orthopedic surgeons, reconstructive surgeons, urology, anesthesia, operating room nurses, and all the personnel in the operating room practiced this surgery. The surgery process lasted approximately 13 hours. Before the surgery, our patient weighed 55 kilograms, and when we cut off the lower body along with the mass, he lost about 25 kilograms of body mass. The patient was left with a body weighing 30 kilograms, meaning we removed 45% of his body," he said.

"OUR PATIENT WAS NOT ABLE TO WALK WHEN HE CAME TO US"

Stating that the patient was unable to walk, Sağlam said, "After the surgery, there was an intensive care process of about 40 days. Our patient went through this process quite well, thanks to the excellent monitoring and management of anesthesia. It has been about 45 days since we operated on our patient, and we are following him in our orthopedics ward. This surgery can provide a small hope for patients with certain cancers, in selected cases, depending on the location of the involvement, especially for those who have lost hope or have been told that surgery cannot be performed. We believe that with this major surgery, we can give them a small glimmer of hope. When our patient came to us, he was not able to walk.

He was brought in on a stretcher. He had very severe pain. Even if he did not have this surgery, the patient would likely have died from this disease in a few months. We separated the cancerous tissue from the healthy body by cutting off the limb that was a burden to him, that is, the lower body from the spine. Now the patient has a colostomy bag for the intestines and a urostomy bag for urine. Along with this, he can comfortably use his upper extremities and arms. Our patient will reach a level where he can maintain his life independently. We thank our hospital's Chief Physician and the Provincial Health Directorate for their continuous support," he concluded.