85-Year-Old Long Island Woman Cancer Free, Following 12-Hour Surgery to Remove Cancerous Kidney Tumor That Had Traveled to her Heart

Like a medical “Humpty Dumpty,” Trudy Romano is put back together again through the combined efforts of kidney, vascular and cardiac surgeons

MANHASSET, NY – An 85-year-old New Hyde Park, NY woman today reunited with three North Shore University Hospital surgeons who removed a malignant kidney tumor by cooling her body to stop her circulation, draining her blood, and then removing her cancerous kidney and the remnants of the cancer that had spread to her heart. In an extraordinary 12-hour surgery that utilized a heart-lung machine, urological surgeon Lee Richstone, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon Alan Hartman, MD, and vascular surgeon K.V. Krishnasastry worked simultaneously to literally put Gertrude “Trudy” Romano back together. Eleven days later, Ms. Romano walked out of the hospital and is now cancer free.

To show her appreciation, at a news conference, Ms. Romano presented each of her surgeons with very special gifts—hearts made entirely of chocolate from the Sundae Palace, a New Hyde Park chocolate shop where she has worked for more than 20 years, as well as original, all-chocolate plaques bearing one simple message: Thank You.

Ms. Romano’s cancer was first discovered in December 2008, when a computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a hard mass growing in her left kidney. It turned out that she was suffering from a renal cell carcinoma of the kidney, a malignancy that has a tendency to grow into and attach itself to the inferior vena cava—a large vein that brings de-oxygenated blood from the body into the heart’s right atrium. In Ms. Romano’s case, the tumor had grown into the vena cava and was moving into the right atrium. Her only hope was to completely remove the tumor. “It didn’t bother me,” said Trudy about the surgery. “It had to be done.”

A surgical team that included physicians from three different disciplines came together on February 13 to perform the complex operation -- Dr. Richstone is director of laparoscopy and robotic surgery at the North Shore-LIJ Health System’s Arthur Smith Institute for Urology, Dr. Hartman is chairman of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at North Shore-LIJ, and Dr. Krishnasastry is chief of vascular and endovascular Surgery at North Shore-LIJ.

“We needed to work together for Trudy’s sake,” explained Dr. Richstone. “This type of cancer is completely curable, but it is crucial to remove all components of the tumor for it to be successful. Each of the surgeons played an integral part in the surgery and ultimately Trudy’s recovery.”

First, the surgical team utilized a heart-lung machine to cool the body to 54-57 degrees Fahrenheit, stopping her circulation—a technique known as profound hypothermic circulatory arrest. At this point, they drained all the blood from her body and removed the cancerous left kidney, then repositioned the vena cava and the right atrium. After removing the tumor from those organs and making sure no remnants of the cancer remained, the surgeons collaborated to put everything back together, restart her circulation and raise her body temperature to normal.

“This surgery is remarkable because it showcases one woman’s determination to live, and our physicians’ determination to save a life,” said Susan Somerville, executive director at North Shore University Hospital. “Ms. Romano’s miraculous surgery also highlights the team approach to medicine that we are so proud of here at the North Shore-LIJ Health System.”

For more information, contact the Smith Institute for Urology at 516-734-8500, the North Shore-LIJ Division of Vascular Surgery at 516-233-3701, the North Shore-LIJ Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at 516-562-4970/718-470-7460, or go to: www.northshorelij.com.

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