15-kg tumour removed from 71-yr-old’s abdomen
Written by Writer on Saturday, October 25th, 2008
15-kg tumour removed from 71-yr-old’s abdomen
25 Oct 2008, 0413 hrs IST, TNN
CHENNAI: ‘Psedomyxoma peritoni’ might sound like a tongue twister. It was a tough job for seven surgeons who worked for five hours to remove 15 kg of this jelly-like cancerous tumour from the abdomen of a 71-year-old woman.
The surgery has given her relief from excruciating pain and may help her win the fight against cancer.
Doctors at Lifeline Hospital said they had seen the patient a year ago with a swollen abdomen. Diagnosis showed a diffused mass in her stomach. She was even taken for a surgery. But when the surgeons saw the rare tumour in the form of a jelly stuck to the bowel and stomach they couldn’t do much.
Pathological tests later confirmed it as one of the rare tumours — psedomyxoma peritoni. She came back to the hospital in March this year with more pain, incontinence, sleep apnea and problems with eating.
“We browsed the internet and read through several medical journals to see if any surgeon had operated or even reported a similar case.
The search engine did not help much but we decided to give her an imported drug called Avastin along with two other drugs. After three injections, the CT scan showed that one of her ovary had become visible. That means the tumour was becoming a liquid and was getting together,” said oncologist Dr S Krishnan.
A team of doctors including oncologists, gastroenterologists, gynaecologists, urologists and general surgeons were called in. “We knew it was a huge mass and we did expect complications because the patient was elderly,” he said.
As soon as the doctors cut open the abdomen, the mass just flowed out. The surgical staff filled three large bowls and a kidney tray with the mass.
Gynaecologists removed the right ovary and uterus while the general surgeons and a surgical gastroenterologist removed the appendix and a part of the intestine. The oncologist began chemotherapy in the theatre and is likely to continue the treatment for a few more months. “It’s a precaution we take to avoid the spread of the disease,” Dr Krishnan said.
