Forty-four-year old Ganesh, a Karnataka police constable would have been on the verge of death had he not undergone the routine urological check-up conducted for police constables by Fortis Hospitals. Doctors who examined Ganesh found a vague growth in his right kidney, but he had no symptoms. Detailed investigation revealed that it was a rare form of kidney cancer (synovial sarcoma).
According to Dr Mohan Keshavamurthy, consultant urologist, Fortis Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, a CT scan showed a 20 cm growth in Ganesh's right kidney which was spreading to the liver. "Available medical literature describes cancer in the kidney as varied as a muscle tumor, fat tumor or bone tumor. These rare varieties comprise one in a hundred renal cancers. A much rarer variety is the tumor of the joint lining tissue called synovial sarcoma, which Ganesh has been diagnosed with. Only about 20 such cases have been reported in literature all over the world,” added Dr Keshavamurthy.
`We discussed the problem with the patient in detail and a final decision was taken to conduct radical nephrectomy (removal of the kidney which had turned cancerous). "After surgery which was conducted a month ago, Ganesh recovered remarkably. He was given a clear understanding of the status and a plan for chemotherapy was made. He has undergone the first dose of chemotherapy, is responding very well to treatment and was discharged from the hospital," he added.
A surprised Ganesh says, "Fortis had come for the health check camp. Since I was there I thought of getting the health check done. The diagnosis was a shocker to me and I was scared. I have been leading a healthy life. In fact, just before I came for the health camp I had exercised. Never in my dreamd did I think that I would be diagnosed with this kind of a rare disease. The health camp was a blessing in disguise for me. I am recovering well now and look forward to leading a healthy life again," he added.