Washington, May 16 (EFE).- Surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston announced Monday the first successful penis transplant in the United States, performed on a patient who lost that organ because of a tumor.

The operation was just the second of its kind in the world, following a similar one in South Africa in 2014.

On this occasion the patient, Thomas Manning, 64, received the transplant from a deceased donor after a 15-hour operation directed by urologist Dicken S. Ko.

Ko told a press conference in Boston that the primary goal of the operation was not to maintain the reproductive function, though the patient could recover it in several weeks or months.

Surgeon Curtis Cerulo, a member of the team at the operating table, said the patient will be able to urinate normally in a few weeks.

The surgeon also noted that the patient’s response to the immunosuppressant therapy to avoid rejection of the implant will be key to the success of the operation.

Dr. Ko said Monday that Manning, who was operated early last week, is in good spirits and is feeling strong, which allows for an optimistic outlook over the long term.

The operation was the result of three years of planning, particularly for the complicated process of vascular and capillary reconstruction.

Manning lost his penis as a result of cancer and the fight to keep it from spreading. EFE