Surgeons have devised a technique that can reverse debilitating muscle damage caused by aggressive cancer.
Every year more than 4,000 people develop high-grade sarcoma, a form of cancer which can affect the muscles. The tumours form in the upper arms, and surgery can leave patients unable to use their bicep muscles.
But surgeons at Southmead Hospital in Bristol have now developed a pioneering procedure to give sufferers mobility again.
It involves taking muscle tissue from the back and implanting it into the arm to form a new bicep.
New research, to be presented at the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) meeting next week, reveals that, three months after the surgery, patients are able to flex their arm.
Experts say the technique, called functional pedicled latissimus dorsi bicep reconstruction, could revolutionise how the aggressive cancer is treated on the NHS.
High-grade sarcomas also spread within the bone and cartilage, meaning that invasive surgery is often required to treat it, which involves removing significant portions of muscle and tissue.
Due to its severity, surgeons prioritise saving the lives of elderly patients with high-grade sarcomas rather than ensuring they have full muscle function.
New research, to be presented at the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) meeting next week, reveals that, three months after the surgery, patients are able to flex their arm (Stock Image)
Surgeons at Southmead Hospital in Bristol have now developed a pioneering procedure to give sufferers mobility again (Stock Image)
It means that many patients who are treated for the disease lose the ability to flex their arm, so it becomes difficult for them to continue to live independently.
During the new procedure, first carried out by plastic surgery consultants Giulia Colavitti and Rachel Clancy, sections of muscle are taken from the lats (latissimus dorsi), which runs from the middle to the lower back. Strands of the muscle are then woven into the arm to create a replacement bicep.
It doesn’t have the full strength or flexibility of the original muscle, but the new tissue creates a lever, allowing the patient to bend the elbow and perform basic tasks such as eating.
BAPRAS president Mani Ragbir said: ‘We now have the option of restoring the patient’s bicep, and thus their independence.’
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