If you've noticed an error on the site, the information is inaccurate, or something is missing — let us know! Or maybe you'd like to suggest an idea — we'd love to hear it.
Pregnancy in wartime is already no small challenge. For Tetiana and Mykola, this was their second long-awaited child: they knew that waiting for the war to end could take a very long time, so they decided to bring new life into the world now. But a routine scheduled ultrasound brought alarming news — Tetiana was found to have a large kidney tumor.
The couple didn't give up and turned to specialists at the National Cancer Institute. Fortunately, Oleksandr Stakhovskyi already had experience treating pregnant patients with a similar condition.
Together with pathologists, the doctors confirmed the diagnosis — carcinoma. At the same time, they had good news: the tumor was not one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. This is precisely what made it possible to develop a safe treatment plan.
The medical team's main goals were to:
Tetiana placed her complete trust in the doctors. For four months, she underwent a monthly ultrasound to monitor the tumor and confirm that it wasn't growing.
August 13, 2025 was the decisive day. Specialists from the O. M. Lukianova Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine agreed to perform an extraordinarily complex "double" operation, fully aware of all the possible risks.
At 9:30 a.m., Tetiana and Mykola's second daughter came into the world. By 10:15 a.m., surgeons from the National Cancer Institute, Oleksandr Stakhovskyi and Heorhii Kudinov, had begun the complex procedure. Their main task was to completely remove the malignant tumor while preserving as much of the kidney as possible.
Despite the tumor's difficult location, it was successfully removed within just 40 minutes and sent to the laboratory for further examination. Most importantly, the doctors managed to preserve the young patient's kidney.
By that very evening, the happy mother was already holding her newborn daughter in her arms. Today, Tetiana and Mykola's family is recovering, and we share in their joy over this small yet truly great miracle.
A cancer diagnosis during pregnancy doesn't mean having to choose between your own health and your child. A multidisciplinary team can build a plan that preserves both the pregnancy and the organ.
We are truly proud of the doctors at the National Cancer Institute and our colleagues at the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology for their courage, professionalism, and humanity. We wish Tetiana a swift recovery, and her daughter strong health, a happy childhood, and a peaceful future.
After a mastectomy and two years with a prosthesis, National Cancer Institute surgeons performed DIEP reconstruction and simultaneously transplanted a lymph node to treat arm swelling.
Back pain turned out to be multiple myeloma. How a railway station chief underwent a bone marrow transplant and returned to work.
Cancer doesn't always hurt: a routine mammogram changed the life of a National Cancer Institute employee. About chemotherapy, surgery, and support you don't expect.
