Woman Undergoes a Rare ‘Dual Surgery’ for Tumors in Heart and Breast at Fortis Hospital
A team of doctors of Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj performed a rare dual operation on a 55-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh. The patient was admitted to the hospital with cancer in the breast. A CT Scan of her chest revealed a malignant mass in her breast and something in her left atrium of the heart.
According to doctors, the mass in the heart was an atrial myxoma – a benign cardiac tumour. The two separate tumours – one in breast and one in the heart- narrowed down the treatment options. The team analyzed the situation and recommended surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy and targeted immunotherapy for breast cancer.
The team of doctors consisting of cardiologists, oncologist, radiologists, anesthesiologists and critical care specialists, conducted simultaneous mastectomy and open-heart surgery under general anaesthesia. The patient underwent CABG (Open Heart Surgery) first, and after the patient stabilized, the surgery was performed to remove cancer from the breast. The treating doctors were Dr. Tapan Ghose, Dr. Mandeep Malhotra and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
“Another challenge was that immunotherapy and other chemotherapy drugs cause weakening of heart, therefore it was important that heart must be at its best to tolerate the treatment,” says Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a Cardiac Surgeon and Cardio Thoracic Vascular Surgeon.
Dr. Mandeep Malhotra, Head, Neck and Breast Oncologist said, "The patient was suffering from stage 3 breast cancer with a benign cardiac tumour. If we operated the heart only while delaying the surgery for the breast, then this could have led to decreasing of patient’s revival rates. And the medical reports showed that she was an ideal candidate for targeted therapy.”
The patient was kept in the ICU for 48 hours and was discharged six days after the surgery.
Written by
Manpreet Kaur
Vaidam Health · Updated 25 Sept 2026
Manpreet Kaur is an Engineer by education but found her interests in research and writing. Her prolific career spans the world of health, travel and digital marketing. She is a music lover who can be found with headphones on at any time of the day. If not found in office, then it is for sure she had packed her bag and is on trip to quench her thirst for adventure.
Trying to extract the best out of life, she has eclectic mind trapped in a peripatetic body.
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Dr. Mandeep SinghOrthopaedic and Joint Replacement SurgeonDr. Mandeep Singh is an eminent Orthopaedist and Spine surgeon practicing successfully for more than 19 years. He is adept in performing spinal surgeries using Renaissance Mazor, minimally invasive PLIF/TLIF, deformity, Scoliosis Correction Surgery, Total Knee and Hip Arthroplasty and managing Polytrauma and Complex Trauma. He also does Spinal Biopsy, Nucleoplasty, Balloon Kyphoplasty, and Lumbar and Cervical Disc Replacement surgery. He spearheaded the team that set up the department of spine surgery and pain management in Fortis Escorts Bone and Spine Institute. He was awarded for being 1st in D. Ortho. He has attended multiple conferences and presented papers in them. He was also invited as Faculty at Bhagalpur Orthopaedic Club Bihar, July 2013 and IMA Westown, held at Radisson Hotel, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi, August 2013. He is a member of several prestigious associations that include the Indian Orthopaedic Association, Indian Arthroscopy Society, Association of Spine Society of India, North American Spine Society, and AO Spine, Switzerland. He also takes interest in research and has numerous publications to his credit in National and International journals.
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