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A team of doctors in Ahmedabad gave a new lease of life to a 56-year-old woman by surgically removing a 47 kg tumour, which she had been carrying for the past 18 years. It is claimed to be the biggest non-ovarian tumour successfully removed in India so far.
The patient, a government employee and a resident of Devgadh Baria, was bed-ridden for the past few months. The surgery was conducted by a team of eight doctors at Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad, led by chief surgical gastroenterologist Dr Chirag Desai.
Apart from the tumour, the doctors also removed abdominal wall tissues and excess skin weighing around 7 kg during the surgery. Following the surgery, the bodyweight of the woman dropped to 49 kg, the hospital said in a statement.
According to Dr Desai, it was a high-risk surgery as the woman's internal organs such as liver, heart, lungs, kidneys and uterus were displaced due to the pressure created by the tumour in the stomach wall. Moreover, getting a CT scan done was also difficult as the size of the tumour obstructed the gantry of the CT scan machine, he stated.
Further talking about the patient's condition before the surgery, Dr Desai said that the woman's blood pressure was altered due to the squeezed blood vessels. She had to be given special treatment and medicines before the surgery to ensure that she does not collapse due to a drop in blood pressure post the removal of the tumour, the doctor added.
Onco-surgeon Dr Nitin Singhal, who was part of the team, noted that while fibroids are common in many women in the reproductive age group, they rarely grow this big.
Notably, the problem for the woman started 18 years ago with unexplained weight gain in the abdominal region. Initially, she resorted to ayurvedic treatment, but it didn't help. In 2004, she underwent sonography which revealed a benign tumour and the family opted for surgery. However, when the doctor began the surgery, it was found that the tumour was attached to internal organs. Considering the risks involved, the doctors terminated the surgery and sewed her up.
Since then, the woman's family consulted several doctors, but in vain. In the meantime, the size of the tumour kept on growing and in the past two years, it almost doubled in size affecting her quality of life. Eventually, the family approached Apollo Hospitals, where the doctors, after a thorough assessment, decided to carry out the surgery on January 27. Following post-operative care and rehabilitation, the woman was discharged from the hospital on February 14.
The team also include anaesthetist Dr Ankit Chauhan, general surgeon Dr Swati Upadhyay and critical care specialist Dr Jay Kothari.
In most cases, benign stomach tumors do not show symptoms for long periods of time. When symptoms are present, they may vary depending on the tumor size, location and complications arising from the tumor (eg: bleeding and ulceration).
The most common symptoms associated with stomach tumors include bleeding (acute or chronic), abdominal pain and discomfort, nausea, weight loss, and intestinal obstruction. Patients with periampullary tumors, such as adenomas in the papilla of Vater, may experience recurrent pancreaticobiliary complications like jaundice, cholangitis, and pancreatitis.
Take note, some benign tumors of stomach can become malignant. Therefore, early diagnosis, correct treatment and proper longterm follow-up are important, say experts.
