Israeli surgeons have successfully replaced an entire rib cage with a customized 3D-printed implant for the first time, performing the groundbreaking procedure on a woman in her 20s with an exceptionally rare form of cancer.
Doctors at Clalit-Beilinson Hospital said the operation required removing both the patient’s sternum and portions of her ribs before reconstructing her chest with a custom-made implant, demonstrating how advances in 3D-printing technology are expanding treatment options for some of the world’s rarest and most complex cancers.
The patient, identified only as Hadas, was diagnosed with an exceptionally rare type of sarcoma that has been reported in only about 20 cases worldwide, according to the medical literature.
“Rare cases require creative solutions,” Head of Thoracic Surgery at Clalit-Beilinson Hospital Dr. Yury Peysakhovich said. He added that such a solution would not have been possible just a few years ago.
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