The patient was diagnosed with malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH), a rare and aggressive form of cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, this type of cancer typically forms in soft tissue but may also develop in bones.
The cancer can manifest anywhere in the body, with tumors often growing rapidly and spreading throughout the body.
In this case, the patient had an abdominal tumor that the surgeon aimed to remove. Unfortunately, the patient passed away shortly after the operation due to complications, but it took a few months before the surgeon noticed the personal impact of the operation.
During the surgery, the surgeon sustained an injury to the palm of his left hand while attempting to place a drain. Although the wound was disinfected and dressed immediately, the doctor later observed a hard, tumor-like swelling in his left palm.
Five months post-surgery, the surgeon sought advice from a hand specialist regarding the swelling, which was 1.2 inches in diameter, located at the base of his middle finger—the site of his initial injury.
Tests confirmed that there were no signs of immune deficiency in the surgeon, and the tumor was successfully excised. It was determined that the tumor was a malignant fibrous histiocytoma, identical to the patient’s cancer.
A pathologist questioned the similarity of the tumors, leading to a comparative analysis of tissues from both the surgeon and the patient.
The analysis confirmed that the tumors were morphologically identical.
The paper’s authors in the New England Journal of Medicine mentioned several clinical cases where malignant tumors or tumor cells had been accidentally transplanted to a healthy individual, but such transplants typically trigger an immune response that rejects the tissue.
In this instance, the authors concluded that the surgeon had an ‘ineffective antitumor immune response.’
Fortunately, the tumor removal was effective, and two years later, the surgeon was in good health with no signs of tumor recurrence.