Surgeons remove 5-kg tumour from 12-year-old's stomach

New Delhi: Surgeons at a private hospitals in the city have successfully removed a 5-kg tumour — the size of two footballs — from the stomach of a 12-year-old girl.

Doctors said that the issue came to light when the patient complained of abdominal distension and mild pain. Doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital then ascertained that the swelling must have started about four to five years back and kept increasing in size.

Since last year, the swelling had been increasing rapidly causing distress and discomfort to the young patient, causing pain and difficulty in breathing. However, the patient's family was hesitant to come to the hospital to seek medical care due to the fear of contracting COVID-19.

Further investigation by laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon Dr Tarun Mittal revealed that the patient's abdomen was grossly distended.

"A huge lump was felt encompassing the full abdomen during the clinical examination. We were surprised that the swelling had reached such a huge size without causing severe complaints", Dr Mittal said. "An urgent CT scan revealed a large lobulated mass in the retroperitoneal area".

During surgery, it was confirmed that the mass occupied the entire abdominal cavity and adhered densely to vital structures including large blood vessels and the intestine.

In a surgery lasting three hours, the tumour was successfully removed completely. The tumour, measuring 32 cm by 22 cm and weighing 5 kg, has been sent for histopathological examination. The patient recovered well and has been discharged.