Groundbreaking gastric cancer surgery with major quality-of-life benefits performed in Latvia for the first time

Riga East University Hospital (East Hospital) has performed Latvia’s first double tract reconstruction surgery for a gastric cancer patient – an innovative procedure that substantially improves patients’ quality of life after oncological treatment. The surgery was led by Igors Ivanovs, Head Physician of the General and Emergency Surgery Clinic and Associate Professor.

The new method focuses not only on cancer treatment, but also on improving patients’ quality of life after surgery. Unlike traditional gastric reconstruction procedures where the duodenum is bypassed during digestion and patients may develop nutrient absorption disorders and long-term digestive problems, the new method preserves a more physiologically complete digestive process. During the surgery, the oesophagus, or the remaining portion of the stomach, is connected to both the duodenum and the small intestine. This method is widely used in Japan where surgical treatment of gastric cancer is highly advanced.

This type of surgical reconstruction allows food to pass through two routes in the digestive system, providing more complete digestive tract function and substantially better nutrient absorption. After surgery, patients recover faster, cope better with the postoperative period, and retain a higher quality of life over the long term.

Igors Ivanovs, Head Physician of the General and Emergency Surgery Clinic and Associate Professor, points out: “The main objective of surgery is to cure an oncological disease, but modern medicine increasingly considers how patients will feel after treatment as well. Quality of life after oncological surgery inevitably changes, but the medicine of the future aims to minimise these changes as much as possible.”

Associate Professor Igors Ivanovs mastered the new surgical method through an exchange of experience at one of the leading clinics in France, adopting internationally recognised practices widely used in Japan and other advanced gastric surgery centres.

The first patient at East Hospital to undergo this surgery was a 75-year-old woman with diagnosed gastric cancer and multiple coexisting conditions. Prior surgery, the patient had undergone chemotherapy and, after the innovative surgical treatment, was discharged home within a few days. In the postoperative period, the patient is required to follow a special diet, comply with medical recommendations, and continue targeted oncological treatment.

The surgery was performed by the medical team of the General and Emergency Surgery Clinic at Gaiļezers inpatient facility, led by the experienced surgeons Igors Ivanovs and Aleksejs Kaminskis:
– Surgical residents: Elīna Zemīte, Sergejs Pugačs
– Anaesthesiologist at the Anaesthesiology Clinic: Natālija Jarocka-Jemeļjanova
– OR nurses: Jeļena Belousa, Albina Perepļotkina
– Anaesthesia nurse: Elīna Neilande

About the East Hospital 

Riga East University Hospital is the largest and strategically significant multi-profile hospital in the country. The hospital consists of five inpatient facilities – Gaiļezers, Latvian Oncology Centre, Biķernieki, Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Centre, and Latvian Infectious Diseases Centre, along with various specialised centres and clinics. The hospital provides highly specialised inpatient and secondary outpatient healthcare, offering multidisciplinary tertiary-level treatment and care in line with modern technology and medical knowledge. Approximately 80% of all cancer patients in Latvia are treated at the hospital. It serves as a practical training base for both Latvian educational institutions and foreign students, providing further education and knowledge transfer to healthcare specialists within and beyond the country. The hospital engages in scientific research and develops innovative methods for patient treatment. As the third-largest employer in the country, the hospital employs around 5000 staff members.