Chennai doctors remove newborn-sized tumour from patient’s chest

CHENNAI: Dennis (48) had been suffering from breathlessness and fatigue for several months, but not even in his wildest dreams did he imagine that the cause of his ailments would be a 3kg tumour lodged in his chest.
A team of surgeons at Stanley Government Hospital here performed a rare thoracic surgery on the man and removed the large tumour weighing the size of a healthy baby.
The patient from Pottapuzhi in Kanyakumari district was experiencing shortness of breath which was progressively worsening over the last six months. On medical investigations performed in Kanyakumari, it was found that he had a large, solid tumour in his right chest.
He was admitted to the cardiothoracic surgery department at Stanley Government Medical College Hospital here a few weeks ago.
“Tests revealed that the tumour was occupying almost the whole of the right side of his chest and compressing the right lung, which was causing his breathing difficulty,” said Dr K Dhamodaran, who was a part of the surgical team.
“The patient was operated on July 13 and all precautions were taken to deal with a difficult intubation and management of large volume blood loss,” said the doctor. In a surgery that lasted over two hours, doctors removed the 3Kg tumour entirely, preserving the patient’s right lung.
Doctors said Dennis had a smooth and uneventful recovery in the post-operative period, and is due to be discharged soon.
Dean of Stanley Medical College Hospital Dr Isaac Christian Moses said, “Removal of such giant – sized tumours can be a challenging task as it involves a lot of complications. Moreover, it can be a very expensive affair for a patient if it is done at a private hospital. It would cost several lakhs of rupees.”
The hospital performed the surgery free of cost for Dennis under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.