Oncovascular surgery: a new chance for radical surgical resection for patients with locally advanced tumors
Bulgarian Medical Journal, 2024, 18(4), 29-36.
A. Todorov1, M. Dimova1, E. Angelova1,5, V. Ilieva2,3, P. Kurtev1,4
1 Department of Vascular Surgery, University Hospital “Lozenets” ‒ Sofia
2 Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University Hospital “Aleksandrovska” ‒ Sofia
3Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Medical Faculty, Medical University – Sofia
4 MHAT “Serdika” ‒ Sofia
5 Specialized Hospital for Oncological Diseases ‒ Sofia
Abstract. It is well known that the survival of the patients with an oncologic disease depends primarily on local tumor control (radical surgical excision with free histological margins) and the tumor histological characteristics. Unfortunately, in Bulgaria most patients with locally advanced tumors with involvement of major vascular structures are referred to palliative therapy even in absence of distant metastases. Such are the patients with advanced primary and recurrent head and neck tumors, pancreatic carcinoma, liver tumors, renal carcinoma with an inferior vena cava thrombus, primary and recurrent gastrointestinal and gynecological cancers with involvement of the lateral pelvic wall and different sarcomas located in the retroperitoneum and extremities. Oncovascular surgery is a new trend in vascular surgery that gives hope for radical tumor resection in such patients. It is defined as a surgical technique that allows the complete excision of a locally advanced tumor trough ligation or resection and reconstruction of a major vessel structure. With the present review, we aim to popularize oncovascular surgery among the Bulgarian audience and to familiarize our colleagues from different specialties with the opportunities it gives for patients that are traditionally labeled as “inoperable”.
Key words: oncovascular surgery, vascular surgery, oncosurgery, advanced carcinoma, vascular resection
Address for correspondence: Viktoria Ilieva, MD, University Hospital “Alexandrovska”, 1 Sveti Georgi Sofiyski st., BG – 1431 Sofia, e-mail: vilieva@medfac.mu-sofia.bg, tel: +359 889907202