Rare surgical procedure saves 60-year-old woman with tumours in both kidneys

“This is the first time that I have performed a robotic surgery that involved the removal of tumours from both kidneys. There could be bleeding while isolating blood supply to the kidney, thus forcing the surgeon to remove the whole organ," said Dr Rajesh Taneja.

3 min readNew DelhiJun 20, 2017 04:19 AM IST

tumors in kidney, kidney surgery, robotic surgeries, unnatural surgeries, damaged kidneys

Dr Rajesh Taneja headed the team which performed the surgery. (Express)

The standard procedure to treat a tumour in the kidney is removal of the entire organ. Earlier this month, a team of surgeons in the capital were faced with a unique case of a patient with tumours in both kidneys.

Headed by Dr Rajesh Taneja — who has performed 150 robotic surgeries — the team had to remove the tumours without removing the organ.

“… If there is an injury or disease in one kidney, then the other is sufficient to carry out the (organ’s) function… In this case, the 60-year-old woman had tumours in both kidneys — each one having the potential to be fatal. The traditional standard treatment is removing the whole kidney. Here, we had a situation where the kidneys couldn’t be removed as there were tumours in both. Robotic assisted partial nephrectomy is standard for patients with kidney tumour, but this unique situation made the surgery very challenging,” said Dr Taneja, who works at Apollo Hospital.

He added, “This is the first time that I have performed a robotic surgery that involved the removal of tumours from both kidneys. The risks of the procedure have to be explained to the patient and her family. There could be bleeding while isolating blood supply to the kidney, thus forcing the surgeon to remove the whole organ. Also, while carving out the tumour, some tissue could be left behind.”

After a careful evaluation, the team of five specialists decided to first remove the tumour from the left kidney. Describing the procedure, Dr Taneja said, “Using robotic technology, six small keyholes were made into the abdomen and the kidney was isolated from surrounding structures. The main blood supply of the left kidney, the artery and the vein, were carefully cleared of surrounding fat and other tissues. The vessels were clamped and blood supply to the kidney was stopped temporarily.”

The challenge for the team was to carve out the tumour in 20 minutes. “We used a stopwatch as we had just 20 minutes to keep the blood vessels clamped… Doing it for longer could be detrimental for the recovery of the kidney. The tumour was carved out and the cut was stitched using special suture material. Once we repaired the cut, the clamps from the main blood vessels were removed,” the doctor said.

“The patient was discharged on the third post-operative day,” the specialist said. Five weeks later, the same procedure was repeated on the right kidney.

Kaunain Sheriff M

As City Editor ( Delhi) at the Indian Express, Kaunain Sheriff leads city reporting with a sharp focus on accountability journalism, data-driven stories, and ground-level impact. As the National Health Editor he leads the newsroom’s in-depth coverage of pressing health issues. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, a definitive investigation into the accountability of one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical corporations. Areas of Expertise Investigative Reporting: Has deep expertise in investigative reporting spanning public health, regulatory affairs, drug safety, and the criminal justice system. His work sits at the intersection of governance, law, and accountability, with a particular focus on how regulatory failures, institutional lapses, and policy decisions affect citizens’ rights and safety. Data Journalism: Has extensively on big data–driven investigations, including analyses of flagship government schemes and large datasets on criminal trials, uncovering systemic gaps. Global Collaborations Kaunain is a key contributor to major international journalistic projects: The Implant Files: Collaborated with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to expose global malpractices in the medical device industry. Chinese Big-Data Investigation: Uncovered how a foreign data firm monitored thousands of prominent Indian institutions and individuals in real-time. Awards & Recognition His commitment to "Journalism of Courage" has been recognized with the industry's highest honors: Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism SOPA Award (Society of Publishers in Asia) Red Ink Award (Mumbai Press Club) Indian Express Excellence Awards (Triple recipient for investigations into the NSA abuse in UP, Vyapam scam, and the anti-Sikh riots). Education: Studied Mechanical Engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), Bangalore, before moving to Delhi to pursue his passion for journalism. His engineering training informs his analytical approach, enabling him to decode technical, legal, and data-heavy systems with precision. Social media LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kaunain-sheriff-3a00ab99 X ( fromerly Twitter): @kaunain_s ... Read More

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