As the days go by, more doctors stress on the need to take care of one’s health, which can get affected in so many different ways today. While some find the strength to deal with the challenges, it often takes a toll on many people and their families, who are also a part of the journey with them.
Many may often lose hope but hope but even as life gets tougher, there are many inspiring medical miracles that are taking place across the city, and India, giving a new lease of life to people that are not only young but also old, helping them to look forward to a brighter future.
Mumbai doctors save terminal prostate cancer patient`s life with lutetium therapy
Doctors at a Mumbai hospital have successfully treated a 66-year-old man suffering from advanced metastatic prostate cancer, delivering hope where none remained. When conventional therapies failed and he was given just months to live, doctors at Jaslok Hospital turned to lutetium therapy and changed the course of his recovery.
After multiple lines of hormonal therapy and at least three chemotherapies failed to halt disease progression, the patient faced a critical condition. His cancer had spread extensively in the bone marrow, the vital factory for blood cell production, leading to dangerously low haemoglobin and platelet levels. This caused frequent transfusion dependency, and he was advised to pursue only supportive and palliative care, with limited life expectancy.
Refusing to give up hope, the patient approached the city-based hospital, and Dr. Jeyhan Dhabhar and Dr. Vikram Lele took on the complex case. Despite the patient’s platelet count being a critically low 7,000, far below the accepted threshold for lutetium therapy at most centres, the team optimised his condition through extensive supportive care and blood product transfusions.
“Patients with platelet counts below 50,000 are usually deemed ineligible for lutetium therapy,” explained Dr. Jeyhan Dhabhar, Consultant Medical Oncology at the hospital. “Taking on a patient with such a low count was unprecedented and involved careful risk assessment and planning. We clearly communicated to the patient that this was a novel approach, yet it represented the best chance for meaningful treatment.”
“This case exemplifies the power of innovation combined with personalised care,” said Dr. Vikram Lele, director of Nuclear Medicine Department. “By pushing the boundaries of conventional treatment protocols and tailoring therapy to the patient’s unique condition, we have opened new avenues for those previously considered untreatable. It’s a testament to what multidisciplinary collaboration and cutting-edge technology can achieve in modern oncology.
Dr. Milind Khadke, chief medical officer, shared, “This was not just a medical challenge it was a test of trust, innovation, and determination. The patient came to us when all other options had been exhausted, and his condition was considered too critical for advanced therapies. Despite the risks, our team made a conscious decision to stand by him and deliver the best care possible. It is moments like these that define who we are at Jaslok, where hope meets expertise, and no patient is ever turned away when there’s even the slightest chance to heal.”
The patient has now undergone two successful cycles of lutetium therapy. His prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a key marker of cancer activity, has reduced from over a hundred to less than 1. Remarkably, he no longer requires platelet transfusions, the last one having been over a month ago, and has resumed his daily activities and work.
Expressing his gratitude, Vinay Vaidya shared, “For years, I struggled with relentless pain and underwent numerous treatments including 20 chemotherapy cycles that brought little to no relief. Many had given up on me, but Jaslok Hospital offered a ray of hope when I needed it most. The care, dedication, and expertise of Dr. Dhabhar, Dr. Lele, and the entire team have truly transformed my life. Today, I am able to live my daily life with renewed confidence and optimism.”
Kolkata doctors perform life-saving surgery on high-risk cardiac patient
In the most recent case, the doctors at Manipal Hospital, Salt Lake — part of Manipal Hospitals, have successfully performed their first-ever Orbital Atherectomy, a state-of-the-art procedure designed to treat hard, calcified blockages in the coronary arteries. The life-saving intervention was carried out under the supervision of Dr. (Prof.) Partha Sarathi Banerjee, senior consultant – Cardiology, and Dr. Arindam Pande, Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiologist on Ramesh (name changed), over 65-year-old male patient with uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure. The patient had previously undergone an angioplasty (a procedure to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle) in December 2024 but returned with recurring chest pain while doing normal physical activities just a few months later.
The patient was admitted, and a coronary angiography (heart arteries visualisation) performed by Dr Banerjee and Dr Pande, showed three new blockages. One of these was in the LAD (Left Anterior Descending artery), one of the major blood vessels that supply blood to the front portion of the heart, just after the previously inserted stent. Second, was in the Left Circumflex artery (LCX) that provides blood to the left ventricular muscle on the side and rear portion of the organ. Upon further investigation, doctors found a very tight, heavily calcified blockage in the RCA (Right Coronary Artery), a blood vessel that supplies oxygen to the right and lower parts of the heart. The doctor advised bypass surgery, but the patient declined due to its invasive nature.
Later, the patient had Angioplasty for two days for LAD and LCX which were completed successfully on the first day. But the blockage in the RCA was so hard and calcified—like a stone—that it was impossible to open with standard angioplasty tools. A unique new procedure known as Orbital Atherectomy was employed by the cardiologists on the second day of the procedure. This procedure uses a diamond-tipped rotating device that spins very fast to break the calcium inside the artery. When the calcium was cleared, three stents were placed to open the artery completely, 100 per cent blood flow was restored, and the patient remained stable and recovered well in the ICU. This procedure uses a diamond-tipped rotating device that spins very fast to break the calcium inside the artery. When the calcium was cleared, three stents were placed to open the artery completely, 100 per cent blood flow was restored, and the patient remained stable and recovered well in the ICU.
Shedding light on the case, Dr Banerjee shared, “The use of Orbital Atherectomy in this case was not just a clinical necessity but a strategic decision to embrace innovation for the patient’s long-term benefit. In today’s ever-evolving medical landscape, it is critical for us to adopt advance procedures those can offer safer, more effective outcomes — especially in high-risk and complex cases. Each such intervention brings us a step closer to redefining patient recovery, quality of life, and future readiness in cardiac care.”
Dr Pande added, “In this case, the blockage in the right coronary artery was extremely hard and couldn’t be treated with regular angioplasty tools. Orbital Atherectomy helped us to safely break the calcium and prepare the artery for stenting. The patient recovered well, showing how useful such advanced techniques are for treating difficult blocked arteries. This marks an important step forward in handling similar high-risk patients at our hospital.”