Dubai: Emirati man treated for extremely rare cancer affecting 1 in 600,000 people

A young Emirati man was treated for a rare type of cancer that had deformed his face and head and which occurs in one out of 600,000 people.

The patient has recovered well with admirable aesthetic results on his face.

The 18-year-old Emirati had multiple tumours in his facial bones, an enlarged head (skull hypertrophy) and deformed limbs.

After conducting a series of examinations, the man was diagnosed with a rare condition called “Gorlin’s syndrome”, which caused multiple corneal cysts in the facial bones and led to an enlarged head.

Symptoms of the disease include a large head, unusual facial features, small pits in the skin, hands, and feet, abnormalities of the spine, ribs, or skull, eye disease, and developmental problems.

The patient had to undergo CT scans, magnetic resonance imaging and tissue biopsies before undergoing a series of surgeries to remove the tumours.

Dr Jehad Al-Sukhun, oral maxillofacial surgeon at Emirates Hospital Jumeirah in Dubai, said: “This case highlights the importance of having an integrated centre that helps to get correct diagnosis and implementation of a comprehensive treatment plan for these rare cases at Emirates Hospital in Jumeirah.”

He explained that Gorlin’s syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that affects many organs and body tissues, and the rate of prevalence of this disease is one in every 600,000 people among those with genetic diseases.

He added, “People with this disorder are at high risk of developing basal cell carcinoma during adolescence or early adulthood, and are also at risk of developing medulloblastoma (a type of brain cancer) and other types of cancer.”

The medical team was able to reconstruct the facial bones by installing sheets of titanium using 3D printing.

The efforts of the medical team were eventually successful, and the patient recovered well with admirable aesthetic results in the face.

“Gorlin syndrome may also cause benign (not cancerous) tumours in the jaw, heart or ovaries,” added Sukhun.

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