“To finally hold Rafferty in our arms after everything we have been through was the most amazing moment,” said Adam Isaac, describing what can only be called a medical miracle, according to a report by The Daily Mail. His wife, Lucy, had undergone a groundbreaking five-hour operation at 20 weeks pregnant to remove ovarian cancer — a procedure so rare it involved surgeons temporarily removing her womb, with their unborn baby still safely inside.
Lucy, a 32-year-old teacher from Oxford, England, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer following a routine 12-week scan. Doctors warned that delaying treatment would be life-threatening, the report stated, but her pregnancy had advanced too far for keyhole surgery. In a high-risk operation performed by Dr Hooman Soleymani Majd and his team at the John Radcliffe Hospital, her womb — containing her son, Rafferty — was carefully taken out, kept connected to vital blood vessels, and monitored every step of the way before being placed back inside her body. “It felt as if I had met him previously. It was a rare and a very emotional experience for me,” Dr Majid recalled of the day he and his team of 15 performed the groundbreaking five-hour surgery, all while keeping the baby boy safely inside the womb, The Daily Mail added.
But, how rare is it to perform such a surgery on a cancer patient during pregnancy?
Dr Shaily Sharma, consultant gynaecologist at Cloudnine hospital, Faridabad, tells indianexpress.com, “Cancer surgery during pregnancy is already a rare and delicate scenario, but procedures involving the temporary removal of the womb (uterus) with the foetus still inside are extremely uncommon and only attempted in the most critical and carefully planned situations.”
Several factors are considered: type and stage of cancer, gestational age of the foetus, potential impact of delay, and the overall health of the mother. (Source: Freepik)
She adds, “These surgeries are performed when delaying treatment would put the mother’s life at significant risk, and the fetus is still too premature to survive outside the womb. It requires an advanced multidisciplinary team and is typically done in highly specialised tertiary care hospitals. Such surgeries are documented in only a handful of case reports worldwide.”
How long can an unborn baby survive outside the womb — and what medical techniques keep it alive?
“An unborn baby cannot survive independently outside the womb until at least 22 to 24 weeks of gestation, and even then, it requires extensive neonatal intensive care. However, during a temporary removal of the uterus in surgery, the baby is still inside the womb and supported by the placenta,” notes Dr Sharma.
She says that the key is to maintain “continuous blood flow and oxygen exchange” through the placenta. To ensure foetal safety during such procedures, the uterus is kept warm using warming blankets or fluid-filled warming devices, and the mother’s vital signs are closely monitored to sustain optimal oxygen and blood pressure levels. This ensures that the placenta continues functioning and the baby remains stable.
Factors that determine whether cancer treatment can proceed during pregnancy
Several factors are considered: type and stage of cancer, gestational age of the foetus, potential impact of delay, and the overall health of the mother. “Doctors must weigh maternal survival against fetal risks. In early pregnancy, some treatments may be postponed or altered to minimise foetal harm. In later stages, surgery or even early delivery may be considered. A multidisciplinary team including oncologists, obstetricians, neonatologists, and ethicists typically collaborates to design a treatment plan that optimally balances the health and safety of both mother and baby. The ultimate goal is always to preserve life on both ends wherever medically and ethically possible,” highlights Dr Sharma.
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DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to. Always consult your health practitioner before starting any routine.
