Delhi: Largest In-situ Tumour Weighing 12 kg Removed From 18-year-old Patient at At Ganga Ram Hospital; Operation Successful

The swelling which appeared in 2012 gradually increased to the patient's hip and the full length of the back of his thigh.

New Delhi: A tumour weighing 12 kg was successfully removed from an 18-year-old patient in surgery performed at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) in Delhi. So far, this is the largest in-situ (inside body) tumour, said the hospital authorities. The previous largest tumour reported was by the University of Miami, the US in 2014, the SGRH sources said.

When the patient Praveen Kumar Gupta visited the hospital in December 2018, he could neither walk nor sit properly. The huge swelling in his limb added pressure on his nerves and blood vessels.  The left high which carried the tumour had become numb due to weakness, alleged the hospital authorities.

The tumour measured 37 cm x 18 cm x 12 cm. The swelling which appeared in 2012 gradually increased to the patient’s hip and the full length of the back of his thigh. Dr Brajesh Nandan, Orthopaedic Onco-Surgeon, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told,  “Had we delayed the surgery, it would have turned malignant. Morbidity and mortality chances are always high in such cases.”

The rapidly growing tumour would have extended till pelvis, abdomen, knee joint or even back if the surgery was delayed. Having performed the surgery, Dr Ambrish Satwick, Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon, SGRH said, “The tumour was perfused by blood supply making it highly vascular in nature.” The blood loss during the surgery was reduced through a procedure called pre-operative embolisation.

The major challenge faced by the surgeons was that the blood supply of the tumour was adjoining the main blood supply of the lower limb, said medical experts. Dr Satwick added, “Any untoward incident could have led to a disastrous operation. Using road-map guidance software, we successfully blocked the main blood vessel to the tumour without compromising with blood supply to the limb.” A team of seven surgeons performed the main surgery for over 9 hours.

(With IANS inputs)