Surgeons at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have successfully carried out a rare and complex surgery in which a pregnant woman’s womb was temporarily removed from her body to treat ovarian cancer.
In the NHS England Facebook page shared on Saturday, the patient, identified as Lucy, was 12 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with the disease.
To safely remove the cancerous cells, surgeons lifted her womb, containing the unborn baby, out of her body before returning it to position after the operation.
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The procedure, led by consultant gynaecological oncologist Mr Soleymani Majd and his team, allowed both mother and baby to continue developing safely.
Further detail revealed that three months later, Lucy gave birth to a healthy baby boy named Rafferty.
Lucy has since undergone a follow-up surgery and is recovering well at home.
She expressed gratitude to the medical team, describing their care as “amazing” and saying she felt “lucky” to have them on her case.
“It was difficult to recover from the surgery whilst looking after Rafferty, but my wonderful husband, family and friends have all been invaluable in helping,” she said.
Rafferty, now seven and a half months old, is reported to be healthy and active.
Medical experts say the operation represents a significant advancement in maternal and cancer care, as procedures involving the temporary removal of the womb during pregnancy are extremely rare.
Cancer Research UK noted that about 7,600 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the United Kingdom (UK) yearly, making Ovarian cancer the 6th most common cancer suffered by women and early detection remains key to improving survival rates.
