Surgical management of rare hepatobiliary sarcomas in a regional teaching hospital: a collaborative model for optimal care with case studies
Sarcomas are challenging and conventionally referred to sarcoma specialist centres. In select cases with required surgical expertise, collaboration with a quaternary sarcoma centre rather than an upfront transfer of care may reduce logistic challenges without compromising patient care.We present a case series of three rare tumours of hepatobiliary origin-two cases of undifferentiated embryonal liver sarcoma in adults and one case of follicular dendritic sarcoma of the cystic lymph node.All three patients underwent surgery in a non-sarcoma specialist centre by hepatobiliary specialist surgeons with concurrent remote referrals to a sarcoma specialist quaternary centre. Both centres belong to the same cluster. R0 resection and no significant postoperative morbidity were achieved. All three patients currently remain disease-free.The unique and integrated healthcare systems within Singapore render cross-institution management possible. This case series suggests that an established setup for cross-centre collaboration facilitates wholistic patient care with good outcomes.
Authors
- Adrian Kah Heng Chiow (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7959-5120)
- Hiang Jin Tan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5759-1700)
- Thiruchelvam Nita
- Irene Ai Ting Ng
Institutions
- Changi General Hospital (SG)
- Duke-NUS Medical School (SG)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMJ Case Reports
- Published
- 2024-09-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2024-260975
- Primary Topic
- Histiocytic Disorders and Treatments
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00