A three-year-old boy suffering from a "rarest of rare" type of lung cancer has got a second lease of life after doctors at two hospitals here successfully removed the tumour that had almost blocked both his lungs.

The boy has "successfully recovered" from the pulmonary blastoma, the rare lung-related cancer, doctors said on October 9, claiming only 204 such cases had been reported globally. The boy whose father is a native of Kadalundi in Kozhikode and working in the UAE, had about a month ago suddenly developed difficulty in breathing and became physically weak.

He was diagnosed to be suffering from the rare type of cancer in tests conducted at a hospital in the UAE and doctors there gave him no hope of survival. His parents then contacted renowned cancer specialist Dr V P Gangadharan of the Lakeshore Hospital. The child was flown and admitted to the hospital in a serious condition with the tumour occupying 100 per cent on the right side lung and 70 per cent on the left side, doctors said.

On the suggestion of Gangadharan, a team of doctors led by Dr Nassar Yusuf, a leading cardiothoracic surgeon in the country, recently carried out the challenging seven-hour-long surgery at the Ernakulam Medical Centre and removed the deadly tumour after which the lungs regained their normal size.

It was the first time that a surgery of this kind was performed in Kerala. The surgery was "heart stopping," Yusuf told reporters. The tumour was friable and broke into pieces during dissection, making the surgery much more difficult, he said. Fortunately, the cancer was localised and had not spread outside the lungs, he said adding Haidan was discharged two weeks after the surgery. Gangadharan said Yusuf has received applauds from international medical organisations, including the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons, for successfully performing the complex surgery on the boy.