Surgeons successfully remove football-sized tumor from patient

New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): Onco-surgeons at a Delhi-based hospital recently performed a highly risky and laborious surgery on a 39-year-old Russian patient, Emil Abdullaev.

Emil was suffering for the past five years from breathlessness and immense discomfort, following which he underwent a series of comprehensive medical checkups. These revealed that a football-sized tumor was gradually growing in his chest cavity, exerting tremendous pressure on his right lung.

A team of doctors led by Dr Sabyasachi Bal, Director, Thoracic Onco Surgery, precariously excised the giant tumor which weighed 3.2 kgs and occupied a substantial amount of space around the right lung.

Prior to his visit to Fortis Vasant Kunj, the patient was scheduled to undergo a surgery in Russia. However the doctors aborted the surgery midway fearing that the procedure might be fatal. It was an extremely arduous procedure which several super-specialty centers in India refused to conduct. The patient was advised to undergo chemotherapy in the interim with the aim of limiting the abnormal growth. However, this was a short term solution that would not reap the desired benefits, as such tumors are unresponsive to chemotherapy.

Originating from the lining of the chest wall called the pleura, the tumor presented several onerous and demanding challenges to the surgeons as it was touching the main vessels which supplied blood to the heart and other vital organs.

The surgical procedure was strenuous as the area left to perform the surgery within the chest cavity was limited. The level of precision that the surgery required was difficult to achieve and there was also no clear indicator that the affected lung would gain its full functionality post-surgery.

Dr Sabyasachi Bal, Director, Thoracic Onco Surgery, Fortis Flt Lt Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj said, "When the case was presented to us it was clear that it would be extremely challenging. The cause behind such a growth is unknown. However, most of these tumors are benign and once excised completely, a relapse is highly unlikely. We took the chance as the tumor was not infiltrating, making the excision successful. These tumors are not triggered by smoking. Nevertheless, the recovery in non-smokers is much faster and reaps better outcomes compared to that in a smoker."

Sandeep Guduru, Facility Director, Fortis Flt Lt Rajan Dhall Hospital, Vasant Kunj said, "Dr Bal is an expert in such cases and has several such surgeries to his credit. It was a proud moment for the team as they were successful in not only saving the life of the patient but also enabling him to regain his lung function to the optimum. At Fortis we continue to strive for excellence in patient care. Our resources, expertise and infrastructure are interwoven in a strategic manner to provide the best care to our patients."

Pleural tumors are found in the pleural space-the cavity between the lungs and chest wall that contains lubricating pleural fluid. A pleural tumor is almost always metastatic (cancerous) and difficult to operate on.

One type of tumor-called a localized fibrous tumor of the pleura (LFTP)-is the exception to the rule. Only about one in eight LFTPs is cancerous, and recovery after surgical removal is quite high despite their typically large size. Very little is known about the cause of LFPTs, particularly the majority of these tumors that are benign. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI