Doctors say India's 2nd largest tumour removed from man's thigh

He lived with a tumour weighing 7.5 kilos in his thigh. It was no easy living for Adhik (name changed) as routine movements, even walking, started to get tough.

This 48-year-old man from Odisha saw a ray of hope of leading a normal life when he visited his brother’s place in Bengaluru. He was operated upon successfully by Bengaluru doctors in a three-hour long procedure at St John’s Medical College Hospital. This, the doctors claim could be the second largest tumour operated upon in the country, doctors claimed.

It was on January 2 that Adhik came to the hospital as an outpatient and was advised surgery, according to doctors who treated him. Dr Osborne Peter Vaz, assistant professor, surgical department Unit 1, St John’s Hospital told DH said that the patient had been living with the tumour for the last eight years.

Adhik had a condition known as Lipoma where all the fat cells aggregate in one part of the body and is encapsulated. It is a non-cancerous tumour. According to doctors, Lipoma is a common condition and the cause for the occurrence of such tumours is unknown. While a typical Lipoma tumour would measure around one centimetre, his tumour was 35X40 cm and weighed over 7.5 kilos.

Dr Vaz said that the patient had visited several doctors in the past and was advised medication. However, he found no relief. Gradually, he was unable to walk and his quality of life was affected.

To add to this complication, the tumour was located right near the femur artery and vein. “Any mishap could cause excessive bleeding. He had to be handled very carefully,” said Dr Vaz. The patient, who came to the hospital in the first week of January, had a condition which had led to severe anaemia. “When we scheduled the surgery, we had to consider other factors as well. His heamoglobin count was just four. Our team of haematologists helped to increase it to 10. Later, the surgery was scheduled,” said the surgeon.

Adhik’s muscles were affected as a result of the tumour being embedded in the body for long. He is currently on physiotherapy to ensure his muscles are put back into normal shape.
DH News Service