Pakistani Surgeons Rebuild Hip With Chinese 3D-Printed Implant After Cancer Surgery

Surgeons at Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital in Lahore have performed the hospital's first orthopedic cancer surgery using patient-specific 3D-printed instruments and a custom pelvic implant. The patient, a 26-year-old with a rare inherited bone condition, had developed chondrosarcoma in the socket of the left hip.

The tumor and the bone around it made conventional reconstruction impractical. The surgical team, led by Prof Amer Aziz, removed the cancer-affected portion of the pelvis while preserving the patient's leg, then fitted a custom-designed 3D-printed partial pelvic implant and completed a total hip replacement.

Before entering the operating room, the team rehearsed the entire procedure using a printed model of the tumor and patient-specific surgical guides. Ali Ijaz Ahmad, clinical lead for sarcoma services at Ghurki Trust, called the mock surgery a critical step that let the team verify bone cuts, guide positioning, and implant fit before the real operation began.

The implant was produced by Farshine Medical, a Chinese firm that said it chose Pakistan as its first overseas expansion market because of close bilateral ties, geographic proximity, and what it described as a favorable policy environment. Farshine plans to work with more Pakistani hospitals and enter other medical fields.

The case arrives as Pakistan faces rising demand for specialized cancer treatment. The International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates the country saw about 190,300 new cancer cases and 119,700 cancer deaths in 2024. The surgery also reflects expanding China-Pakistan cooperation in advanced medical technology. In November 2025, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad performed the capital's first robotic adrenalectomy using the Chinese-developed Toumai surgical robot.