The surgical team at Emirates Hospital Jumeirah, led by Professor Dr Jehad Al Sukhun, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, managed to save an 18-year-old Emirati patient who suffered from a rare type of cancer that caused multiple tumors in the facial bones, an enlarged head (skull hypertrophy) and deformed limbs.
The young patient visited Emirates Hospital Jumeirah in Dubai. He was suffering from multiple tumors in the face, and after conducting a series of careful examinations, he was diagnosed with a rare condition called Gorlin's syndrome, which caused him to have multiple corneal cysts in the bones of the face and an enlarged head.
The hospital team carried out CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging and tissue biopsies, and then the young man underwent a series of surgeries to remove the tumors.
The medical team was able to reconstruct the facial bones by installing sheets of titanium using 3D printing.
The efforts of the medical team were crowned with great success, and the patient recovered well with excellent aesthetic results.
Dr. Jehad Al-Sukhun said, "This case highlights the importance of having an integrated center that helps to get correct diagnosis and implementation of a comprehensive treatment plan for these rare cases ."
He explained that Gorlin syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects many organs and body tissues, and the rate of prevalence of this disease is one in every 600,000 people among those with genetic diseases.
He added: "People with this disorder are at high risk of developing basal cell carcinoma during adolescence or early adulthood, and are also at risk of developing medulloblastoma (a type of brain cancer) and other types of cancer."
He continued, "Gorlin syndrome may also cause benign (not cancerous) tumors in the jaw, heart or ovaries."
Signs and symptoms include a large head, unusual facial features, small pits in the skin, hands, and feet, abnormalities of the spine, ribs, or skull, eye disease, and developmental problems.
Gorlin syndrome caused by a gene mutation, is also called basal cell nevus syndrome and basal cell carcinoma syndrome.
