Shanghai, Dec. 21 - Surgeons from Shanghai’s Ruijin Hospital said Monday an operation to transplant seven organs from a single donor to a 38-year-old woman on Dec. 14 was a success.

“The 14-hour multi visceral transplant surgery went smoothly and successfully, and the patient is recovering well one week after receiving the new liver, pancreas, spleen stomach, small bowel, duodenum and colon from one donor,” said Li Hongwei, chief surgeon and president of Ruijin Hospital at a press conference.

The operation is the first of its kind in Asia, according to doctors from Ruijin Hospital.

The local woman was diagnosed with a rare disease called familial adenomatous polyposis striking one in every 7,000 to 24,000 people.

Adenomatous polypopous calic gene mutation had caused numerous polyps of different sizes to form in her digestive system.

Polyps had also developed cancer cells in her stomach, duodenum and had spread to other organs.

Overseas practice shows the only treatment for the disease is to replace the diseased organs.

The first such operation was conducted at the Transplant Center in Pittsburgh in the United States in 1989, according to Tuesday’s China Daily.

“But this case was really challenging and risky because the patient needed to have seven organs and tissues removed and replaced,” said another chief surgeon, Yin Lu, of the operation.