For the first time in Israel: half a pelvis replaced with a 3D implant
15-year-old Mark was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer that spread to his pelvis and lungs, and the tumor was initially defined as inoperable. After chemotherapy and extensive planning, teams from Schneider and Beilinson performed a 19-hour surgery to remove it and reconstruct the pelvis using an implant tailored to his body. He is now continuing the rehabilitation process: "Cases that were previously almost impossible to operate on."
Mark, a 15-year-old teenager diagnosed with a rare bone cancer in the pelvic area, recently underwent a groundbreaking surgery during which half of his pelvis was removed and replaced with a custom-made 3D implant. According to Schneider and Beilinson hospitals, this is the first surgery of its kind in Israel. The procedure lasted 19 hours and required meticulous prior planning of the resection and the implant design.
This is the second time Mark has faced cancer. At the age of two, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in the lower abdomen, underwent treatment, and recovered. At 14, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer that spread to several pelvic bones and his lungs. Due to the extent of the disease and the complex location of the tumor, it was initially deemed inoperable. Mark's mother sought treatment options in Israel, where he began care at the hemato-oncology department at Schneider. Following chemotherapy, the lung metastases disappeared and the tumor shrank, but the involvement of several pelvic bones made surgical removal extremely complex.
"Following chemotherapy, the pulmonary metastases disappeared and the tumor shrank significantly," says Dr. Orly Michaeli, the oncologist treating Mark and an expert in pediatric solid tumors. "But despite this, due to the involvement of several bones in the pelvis, it remained a very complex surgical challenge and we did not think it would be possible to remove it."
After a joint discussion by experts from Schneider and Beilinson, it was decided to perform an extensive pelvic resection and design a personalized implant for Mark. During the surgery, the tumor was removed along with half of the pelvis, and the implant was attached in its place to restore structure and stability.
"This was one of the most complex and challenging cases we have performed, and it was clear to us that we had to think outside the box," says Dr. Israel Weiss, director of the orthopedic oncology unit at Schneider and Beilinson. "Instead of accepting that the tumor was initially considered inoperable, we looked for a solution that would allow us to remove the tumor completely and reconstruct the pelvis to enable a return to reasonable functioning."
According to Dr. Aryeh Greenberg, a specialist in joint replacement and orthopedic oncology at Beilinson, the implant was designed based on Mark's anatomical structure. It is made of an advanced polymer that allows bone to grow into it, aiming to restore pelvic stability. Mark is currently continuing his rehabilitation at Schneider. While the implant is intended to allow him to walk again, the functional results will become clear as the rehabilitation process continues.
