Amid Prolonged Medical Crisis, Busan Centum General Hospital's Cancer Treatment Achievements Draw Attention

University Hospital Disruptions... Cancer Patients Flock to Local General Hospitals

Centum Hospital Hepatobiliary Surgery Performed 145 Operations in Last 2 Months

Half of Cancer Surgeries for Patients from Other Regions Such as Gyeongnam, Gyeonggi, Chungnam, Gwangju

Due to the prolonged domestic medical crisis (such as conflicts between medical associations and the resident doctor strike), university hospitals across the country are unable to operate normally.

As a result, it has become increasingly difficult for patients with severe cancer to find hospitals where they can receive treatment. Amidst this situation, the hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery team at Centum General Hospital, comprised of former Seoul Asan Medical Center specialists, is drawing significant attention for successfully treating surgical patients who come from all over the country.

The hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery department at Centum General Hospital (Chairman Park Jongho, Director Park Namcheol) performed a total of 145 surgeries over the past two months (March 15 to May 15), of which 22 were cancer surgeries.

Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery Team (front row from left: Younghoon Noh, Kwangmin Park, Sangyeop Lee)

Notably, 25 patients?accounting for 17% of all surgical patients?came from regions outside of Busan, and 50% of the cancer surgery patients were from other areas. Specifically, 18 patients were from Gyeongnam, one each from Gyeonggi and Chungnam, one from Gwangju, one from Daegu, one from Gyeongbuk, and two from Ulsan sought treatment at Centum General Hospital. Furthermore, there were no postoperative deaths among these patients.

These achievements clearly demonstrate that regional general hospitals are fulfilling roles comparable to university hospitals despite the prolonged medical crisis.

For example, in the case of patient A (male, 71 years old), who was diagnosed with pancreatic head cancer (a malignant tumor in the head of the pancreas) at a university hospital in Busan, the presence of an arterial malformation with the common hepatic artery originating from the superior mesenteric artery made the surgery highly complex. Although the university hospital informed him that surgery was not possible due to the medical crisis, after transferring to Centum General Hospital, a surgical team consisting of three specialists from Seoul Asan Medical Center and two PA (physician assistant) nurses successfully performed a complete resection of the pancreatic head cancer.

Another case involved patient B (female, 67 years old) with gallbladder cancer, who was diagnosed at a general hospital in Gwangju with gallbladder cancer invading the liver. After much searching, she was transferred to Centum General Hospital in Busan. The entire hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery team at Centum General Hospital participated, successfully performing an extended cholecystectomy including liver resection, achieving a complete cancer resection.

Patient C (female, 44 years old) with liver cancer was found to have a 12 cm lesion in the left liver and a 2 cm lesion in the right liver. Although her primary physician recommended treatment at a university hospital, she visited the hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery center at Centum General Hospital based on recommendations from those around her. The team succeeded in completely removing the cancer through a complex liver resection, removing parts of both the left and right liver.

These cases demonstrate surgical outcomes on par with university hospitals and have greatly elevated the status of regional general hospitals. The hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery team at Centum General Hospital consists of three specialists?Medical Director Park Kwangmin, Chief Lee Sangyeop, and Chief Noh Younghun, all formerly of Seoul Asan Medical Center?who collaborate on all surgeries. In addition, four highly trained professional PA (physician assistant) nurses participate in treatments and surgeries, greatly contributing to maintaining a postoperative mortality rate of 0%.

Surgery scene of hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery.

Park Kwangmin, Medical Director of Centum General Hospital, stated, "To provide the best possible care to the influx of patients due to the medical crisis, we plan to further strengthen our team with additional specialists and advanced equipment."

Such efforts at Centum General Hospital are providing new hope to patients with severe cancer. Despite the challenges caused by the medical crisis, Centum General Hospital is setting an example for regional general hospitals by providing medical services that instill trust and reassurance in patients.

Recently, there has been a surge in requests from qualified and skilled surgeons to join the team, and based on this, the hospital is accelerating efforts to establish a large-scale, specialized hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery center tailored to the needs of the local community.