Wednesday September 21, 2022
Fadumo Mohammad Omar from Somalia was diagnosed with locally advanced stage three breast cancer which, according to doctors, could have spread all over in no time.
Fadumo Mohammad Omar with doctors from Medicover Cancer Institute. (Express photo)
A 33-year-old woman from Somalia successfully fought cancer and delivered a baby boy at a private hospital in Hyderabad. She was 12 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer and was suggested abortion. Doctors said she decided to have the baby and now both the mother and the baby are healthy.
Fadumo Mohammad Omar from Somalia was diagnosed with locally advanced stage three breast cancer which, according to doctors, could have spread all over in no time. Dr Saadvik Raghuram, Medical Oncologist from Medicover Cancer Institute, who treated her, said cancer eventually would have led to the death of both the mother and the child.
The doctors at the Institute took it up as a challenge to save the woman and her unborn baby. She was given chemotherapy treatment and during the course, the health of the mother and the foetus was continuously monitored. “Finally, she completed all the courses of chemo and delivered a healthy baby boy,” said a statement from the hospital.
Stating that saving the mother and the child from a highly critical health condition was a near miracle, the hospital said the mother and child were in good health. The woman delivered two weeks ago and has undergone surgery post-delivery. She will undergo radiotherapy starting next week. Dr Raghuram told indianexpress.com that since she was pregnant and diagnosed with stage three cancer, there was a risk of intrauterine death of the foetus or any foetal malformations. “Myelosuppression was another added risk,” the doctor added.
“Keeping these factors in mind and after monitoring the foetus, she underwent three-weekly chemotherapy (once in three weeks) instead of a two-weekly regimen. By the 36th week, the course of chemotherapy was over but the baby was not ready for delivery. We had to bridge this period and give her an additional course of chemo so that the cancer could be kept under control. She delivered in her 38th week and it was a normal delivery,” the doctor said.
He said there is a 30 per cent risk of breast cancer recurrence though they do not expect any treatment-related side effects. “She should not feed the baby during the treatment but can stay or spend time with the baby even during the radiotherapy. That will be three weeks of treatment and she can very well be in her routine,” he added.