A team of surgeons at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) successfully performed a complex oncological surgery to remove a 15-kilogram cancerous tumour, known as retroperitoneal liposarcoma, from a 73-year-old male patient. The patient, a resident of Kallakurichi in Tamil Nadu, was admitted to JIPMER with complaints of abdominal distention persisting for over a year and severe shortness of breath for six months.
Clinical Evaluation and Preoperative Care
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.
The Surgical Procedure
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 10:30 AM and concluded at 3:00 PM 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, which is the removal of the kidney, along with the tumour.
Postoperative Outcome
Upon successful removal, the massive tumour was found to measure approximately 65 x 45 centimetres and weighed a staggering 15 kilograms. The patient was shifted to the Critical Care Unit 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.
Historical Context
According to medical records cited by the institute, this is the third-largest retroperitoneal liposarcoma removed in India. The largest recorded tumour of this type was a 30.5-kilogram tumour removed at the Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre in Varanasi in 2023, followed by a 30.2-kilogram tumour at Yashoda Hospital in Hyderabad in 2022.
