Agartala, 7th August 2026 : In a major achievement in cancer care, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regional Cancer Centre in Tripura has successfully performed a complex oesophageal surgery using the advanced Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) technique, marking the first such government-run facility in the Northeast region to provide this specialised treatment.
The surgery was conducted completely free of cost under the supervision of expert cancer specialists at the centre, providing relief to a 35-year-old woman suffering from oesophageal cancer and severe complications.
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regional Cancer Centre has emerged as a significant healthcare institution for cancer treatment in the Northeast, offering advanced medical services not only to patients from Tripura but also from neighbouring states and nearby countries. The hospital’s specialist doctors regularly perform complex cancer treatments and surgeries using modern medical techniques.
The patient, a resident of Ramnagar area in Agartala, had been suffering from serious problems related to her oesophagus for the past four months. She was unable to consume food properly and experienced severe pain in the food pipe. She visited the hospital’s Outpatient Department on July 2, 2026, where doctors conducted preliminary examinations and referred her to the Surgery Department.
After detailed screening and investigations, specialists confirmed the presence of cancer in her oesophagus. Doctors informed that the tumour could be removed through surgery and decided to perform the procedure using the advanced Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) method.
The patient was admitted under the supervision of the Surgery Department on July 27, 2026, and the complex oesophageal surgery was successfully performed on July 29 by the expert surgical team of the cancer centre.
VATS is a modern minimally invasive surgical technique in which small incisions are made to insert a camera and specialised instruments into the chest area, allowing doctors to remove or repair the affected portion of the oesophagus. Compared to conventional open surgery, which may require 10 to 12 hours, the VATS procedure reduces the operation time significantly, taking around 2 to 3 hours.
Following the successful surgery, the patient was kept under medical observation for two days and was later discharged after making a full recovery.The patient’s family expressed their gratitude to the specialist doctors, surgeons, and healthcare workers of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regional Cancer Centre for providing advanced treatment and saving her life.
The successful completion of this surgery has further strengthened Tripura’s position as a centre for advanced cancer care in the Northeast.
