Surgeon diagnosed with cancer after operating on patient

Surgeon contracts rare cancer from patient with malignant fibrous histiocytoma during surgery.

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A German surgeon contracted cancer from a patient during surgery in a rare and unprecedented medical case, according to a report originally published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The case, involving the accidental transfer of malignant tumour cells from patient to doctor, is considered a first-of-its-kind event.

The incident occurred during a procedure on a 32-year-old patient with malignant fibrous histiocytoma, a rare type of cancer diagnosed in only 1,400 cases annually. While removing a tumour from the patient’s abdomen, the 53-year-old surgeon suffered a cut to his hand while placing a drain.

Despite immediate disinfection and bandaging, the doctor developed a 1.2-inch lump at the base of his middle finger five months later.

A hand specialist identified the lump as a malignant tumour, which was later confirmed to be genetically identical to the cancer removed from the surgeon’s patient.

Medical experts concluded that the surgeon contracted the cancer when tumour cells from the patient entered the wound.

Authors of the case report noted the unusual nature of the event, as the body typically rejects foreign tissue, such as during transplants.

In this instance, the surgeon’s immune system appeared to mount an inflammatory response but failed to destroy the tumour cells, allowing the cancer to develop.

The patient’s surgery was initially successful, but he later passed away due to complications unrelated to the tumour.

The surgeon’s tumour was removed and examined under a microscope, revealing it was also malignant fibrous histiocytoma. Subsequent analysis confirmed the tumour cells in the doctor and patient were identical.

In their report, the authors theorized that the tumour cells evaded destruction through immune system failures, allowing them to grow despite the body’s inflammatory reaction. Following the tumour's removal, the surgeon showed no signs of recurrence or metasta