First Man to Undergo Penis Transplant in US Says Surgery Has Given Him 'Hope'
The 15-hour surgery occurred earlier this month.
— -- A former cancer patient is the first man in the U.S. to undergo a penis transplant in a breakthrough surgery that could affect many men with devastating genital injuries, according to officials from Massachusetts General Hospital.
Surgeons performed the operation earlier this month during a 15-hour procedure, officials said, noting that the patient, Thomas Manning, of Halifax, Massachusetts, had part of his penis removed after a cancer diagnosis.
"Today I begin a new chapter of my life with personal hope and hope for others who have suffered genital injuries," Manning said in a statement today in which he thanked his medical team and the donor family. "In sharing this success with all of you, it’s my hope we can usher in a bright future for this type of transplantation."
Manning's doctors said today they are "cautiously optimistic" about his recovery and said they expect he will be able to leave the hospital in about three to four days. While the operation took 15 hours, the planning had taken years, according to hospital officials.
Dr. Curtis Cetrulo, a plastic surgeon who was involved with the operation, said they suspected they would be able to perform the transplant after successfully performing a hand transplant four years prior. A deceased donor was used after special permission from the donor's family.
An estimated team of 50 medical personnel, including plastic surgeons, urologists and anesthesiologists, took part in the marathon operation.
Cetrulo said Manning was inspired to speak up to give hope to others with similar injuries.
"His outlook is he wants to share this technology with others who need it," Cetrulo said today. "He was telling me this morning that if you just give a little bit of hope it goes along way."
Dr. Dicken Ko, a urologist involved with the operation, said many patients who have had similar operations as Manning's or who have had severe genital injuries "suffer in silence.
Hospital officials said they hoped this operation could eventually help many men in the U.S. including the thousands with genital injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"We hope to open this up to other patient populations including wounded warriors," Cetrulo said, noting many servicemen who had genital injuries are left "so despondent that they consider taking their own lives and often do."
Manning spoke with the New York Times about the difficulty he faced after his cancer surgery.
"I wouldn’t go near anybody," he told the New York Times of the possibility of relationships after his cancer surgery. "I couldn’t have a relationship with anybody."
Dr. Dicken Ko, a urologist involved with the operation, told reporters that simply getting to the surgery proved to be an unexpected problem after a donor became available while Ko was at a urology conference in San Diego. Ko said after being delayed en route, his wife drove him straight from the airport to the operating room.
“Just like with a team that’s playing well -- the combined synergy leads to success,” Ko said during a news conference today.
There have been at least two other penis transplants in other parts of the world, according to medical literature. A South Africa man underwent a successful surgery in 2014 and a Chinese man had an unsuccessful transplant in 2006.
Related Stories
ABC News Live