These patients now rarely survive more than a few years.
The patients had cancer before age 21 and survived for at least five years.
The patients in here were seriously ill, and might not even survive until the next day.
It was the second such operation, and the patient survived for one week.
There is no specific treatment, but more patients would probably survive if they could get the kind of intensive care available in developed countries.
On average, patients survive 14 months after the disease is diagnosed.
Instead, he said, about half the patients survived and one is still alive today.
Even then, some patients survive for more than five years.
The unidentified patient survived for 13 more years after the operation.
"Despite your best efforts, I see the patient has survived after all."