Doctors Remove 22-Pound Kidney Tumor From Man In Life-Saving Surgery

A 53-year-old man in India underwent a life-saving surgery to remove a 22-pound football-sized kidney tumor.

The procedure was conducted at the Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology (AINU) in the southern city of Hyderabad. The challenging procedure was performed by a team of urologists led by Dr. Mallikarjuna C, renowned consultant Urologist, managing director, Dr. Taif Bendigeri and Dr. Rajesh K Reddy.

The hospital told the local media Thursday this case was the first-ever accomplishment in the state and the second in the country. It wasn't clear when the procedure took place.

Doctors said the man, who has not been identified, was admitted to the hospital with abdominal swelling. A complete analysis revealed there was a large abdominal mass lesion. Further tests revealed the tumor was arising from the left kidney, Times Now reported. The tumor occupied two-thirds of the abdominal cavity, and displaced intestines into the right lower quadrant.

"Considering the size of the tumor, we ruled out robotic procedure, and instead opted for open surgery," Dr. Mallikarjuna C said, according to News 18. "Post-surgery, we discovered the tumor was extremely large, the size of a football. Microscopic examination confirmed that the tumor was a cancerous growth (Renal Cell Carcinoma)," he added.

Dr. Reddy and Dr. Bendigeri further said the patient's abdomen was swollen, but he did not notice the warning signs.

"Our team removed the cancer-affected left kidney. Microscopic surgical margins were clear implying complete removal of the tumor. Fortunately, it was found that the patient did not need any additional therapy as the tumor had not spread to any other organs," he said.

While concluding, they mentioned they have cautioned him against ignoring follow-ups as it will help in regular monitoring.

Dr. Purnachandra Reddy, executive director and chief consultant Urologist at AINU, said urological cancers are on the rise all over the world and people must take it seriously.

In a similar incident, a 72-year-old man underwent surgery to remove a "coconut-sized" tumor in his thyroid gland. The patient faced difficulties with breathing and swallowing food for six months. His condition later deteriorated. "During the last so many years of practice, I have operated more than 250 such cases of huge thyroid tumors but this was a unique case in terms of weight and size, wherein the normal butterfly-shaped thyroid gland, which normally weighs 10-15 gm and is of 3-4 cm size, became larger than a coconut with a size of 18-20 cm," Dr. Sangeet Agarwal, consultant, told India Today at the time.