Jipmer surgeons remove 15kg tumour from 73-year-old man’s abdomen

PUDUCHERRY: A team of surgeons at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) successfully performed a complex oncological surgery to remove a 15kg cancerous tumour (Retroperitoneal Liposarcoma) from a 73-year-old male patient.

The patient, a resident of Kallakurichi, Tamil Nadu, was admitted to Jipmer with complaints of abdominal distention for over a year and severe shortness of breath for six months. Comprehensive clinical evaluations revealed a massive, predominantly fat-containing tumour deep inside his abdomen. The giant mass was engulfing his left kidney and exerting severe pressure on the left ureter, according to a release from the institute.

Recognising the threat to the patient's urinary system, a team of surgeons from the department of urology intervened first, performing a left ureteric stenting procedure to relieve the compression. Later, the patient underwent an open surgical excision performed by a team of surgeons led by Dr Raj Kumar Nagarajan from the department of surgery. The surgery commenced at 10.30am and concluded at 3pm on May 20.

During the operation, the surgeons discovered that the tumour had heavily infiltrated the left kidney. To ensure complete eradication of the cancer, the team had to perform a simultaneous left nephrectomy (removal of the kidney) along with the tumour.

Upon successful removal, the massive tumour was found to measure approximately 65 X 45 cm and weighed a staggering 15kg. The patient was shifted to CCU for close observation. He was successfully extubated on the very first postoperative day.

Hospital authorities confirmed that the patient is currently stable and recovering well. According to medical records cited by the institute, this is the third-largest retroperitoneal liposarcoma removed in India, following a 30.5kg tumour removed at the Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre in Varanasi (2023) and a 30.2kg tumour at Yashoda Hospital in Hyderabad (2022).