First-of-its-kind treatment shrinks unborn baby’s tumour before birth

The Chinese doctors for the first time shrunk a potentially fatal tumour inside an unborn baby’s chest while it was still in womb without making an incision, paving a way towards breakthrough that could save lives.

The baby had a severe genetic lung malformation known as Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM), occurring in about 1 in 25,000–35,000 pregnancies.

In rare, aggressive cases, the tumour grows rapidly, compressing the heart and lungs, causing fluid build-up in the abdomen, and potentially leading to foetal death.

When it comes to standard treatments, there are certain limitations as they include steroids, fluid drainage tubes and invasive lobectomy with poor survival rates.

Hence, the doctors performed the first-ever microwave ablation for foetal CPAM on a 22-week-old foetus inside a 40-year-old mother.

They inserted a small needle through the mother's abdomen directly into the foetal tumour, applying microwave energy to vibrate water molecules. They create intense heat, and destroy the abnormal tissue from the inside out without any surgical incisions.

As a result, the tumour shrank significantly within three days, and the dangerous fluid build-up in the baby's abdomen completely disappeared.

The healthy infant was delivered through C-section at 37 weeks, weighing 2.9kg. While hailed as a "new milestone," doctors emphasize that further research is needed to confirm the procedure's safety and effectiveness before it becomes a standard clinical option.