Born: September 10, 1984
Entered Into Rest: October 10, 2001
DX - testicular tumour
| My son Anish Mitra died of cancer at the age
of 17 years 1 month. The cancer was a rare case of brain metastasis from
testicular tumour. Anish Mitra, a 16-year sixteen-year-old boy from Calcutta was just like any other normal teenager until his parents observed an abnormal swelling of his left testis during April 2001, and took him to a doctor. Ultrasonography revealed a large heterogenous mass in the left testis. CT Scan and Tumour Marker tests (AFP & BHCG) were also done.AFP & BHCG levels were much higher than normal values. CT Scan additionally indicated a small pleural lesion. Orchiectomy was performed on 18th May 2001. Histopathological examination of the eliminated mass revealed a large Non-Seminomous Germ Cell Teratoma (NSGCT). He was sent to Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, Mumbai; for evaluation and treatment in the first week of June 2001.The boy fell down on 14th June 2001 and developed right-sided hemiphlegia. CT Scan & MRI Scan of brain revealed one small lesion in the brain and a large hematoma. The boy complained of severe headache and vision problems (double images) and also had nausea, vomiting, and convulsions with seizures. Brain Metastasis had developed with raised Intra Cranial Tension and no treatment (Chemotherapy) could be given due to Neurological complications. C T Scan was repeated on 19th July, 2001.Two nodular lesions were seen coming out from the hematoma; confirming the metastasis. An attempt was made to give him Chemotherapy (VIP Regime) but the boy could not take the full course and the Chemotherapy had to be aborted after two days. After twenty days, a course of Cranial Radiotherapy was started on the boy. He was given a total of 4000 cGy in twenty fractions over four weeks period. Meanwhile the boy started coughing and occasionally vomiting blood. He had a complete loss of appetite and was being fed resourced protein. In the first week of October 2001 another attempt was made to give him Chemotherapy; this time with BEP Regime for his original testicular tumour, which had now spread to the lungs. Chest X-Ray showed considerable Pleural Effusion. But he already had an enlarged liver with raised Blood Bilerubin (more than 3.0) and once again Chemotherapy could not be given. Over the next few days his condition worsened and he could only take liquids. He expired on 10th October 2001. In retrospective one feels that the disease was already in its Second Stage at the point of detection (April 2001) and rapidly went to the Third Stage, giving very little scope for survival. The NSGCT might have started developing in the boy from the age of puberty, and the only symptom was probably; the boy had became suddenly very bulky after his sixteenth birthday. Father |