Doctors remove football-sized tumour from man’s stomach

Symptoms of kidney cancer often don’t manifest until later stages of the disease

Doctors have removed a kidney tumour the size of a football from a man’s stomach.

The 53-year-old man underwent surgery at the Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology in Hyderabad city, India, on November 17.

The cancerous tumour, which weighed 10kg was removed, as well as the left kidney.

The mass had grown on the left kidney and ended up occupying two-thirds of the abdominal cavity, causing the patient’s stomach to swell and even pushing his intestines out of place.

Symptoms of kidney cancer often don’t manifest until later stages of the disease. It is most commonly found by accident during routine tests. Symptoms can include blood in urine, lower back pain, a lump or mass in the kidney area, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss.

Renowned consultant urologist and managing director Dr. Mallikarjuna C who led the team said: “Considering the size of the tumour, we ruled out robotic procedure, and instead opted for open surgery.

“With great efforts, the tumour could be removed successfully.

“Post-surgery, we discovered the tumour was extremely large, in the size of a football.

“Microscopic examination confirmed that the tumour was a cancerous growth - a renal cell carcinoma.”

Two urologists who assisted in the procedure, Dr. Rajesh K. Reddy & Dr. Taif Bendigeri, said: “There was swelling in the abdomen, but surprisingly the patient did not notice it much or may have ignored it despite the pain.

“Our team removed the cancer-affected left kidney. Microscopic surgical margins were clear implying complete removal of the tumour.

“Fortunately, it was found that the patient did not need any additional therapy as the tumour had not spread to any other organs.

“We have cautioned him against ignoring follow up. That will help in regular monitoring.”