Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore removes 8 kg tumor from the abdomen of an International patient

Apollo Hospital, Bangalore has successfully removed a large tumor from the abdomen of an international patient from Iraq. The patient Fawazi was detected with a tumor 18 years ago, which grew in size and weight over time.

The 65-year-old patient had earlier been operated in Iraq but the tumor recurred post the surgery. The tumor eventually grew in size and its sheer weight was becoming a hindrance. It was located in the posterior part of the abdomen, and due to size and weight it was compressing the ureter causing the kidneys to balloon out. The tumor had also grown around the blood vessels causing his legs to swell up like in filariasis.

The tumor removal surgery was not recommended by surgeons in Iraq and the patient eventually decided to travel to India for his treatment. The surgical team at Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore was led by Dr Anil Kamath, senior consultant, Surgical Oncology along with Dr Pandu, surgical oncologist, Dr Raju, consultant urologist and Dr Sunder Narasimhan, vascular surgeon.

The operation lasted for about 16 hours and during the process almost 10 liters of blood was administered to the patient. Post the surgery, the patient was kept in the ICU for two days and his subsequent recovery was nothing short of magical. Within a few days his kidney functions returned to normal and swelling in the leg reduced to almost half of what it was originally and the patient was able to get up and walk without too much discomfort.

“The main challenge during the surgery was to get around the tumor which occupied the whole abdomen. A long abdominal incision had to be made. Surgery had to proceed cautiously as the normal anatomy was totally distorted. The ureter was stretched by the tumor and as their length had become thrice the normal, the ureters had to be cut and re-implanted elsewhere into the bladder. The next challenge was the blood vessels going into the right leg. As the tumor was encasing the blood vessels, both the artery and the vein had to be removed along with the tumor. This segment had to be replaced by the superficial veins from the other leg,” said Dr Kamath.