Woman has 13kg tumour cut out in seven-hour operation in UAE

ABU DHABI // An Emirati has had a 13-kilogram tumour removed from her neck, chest and back.

It took doctors at Al Ain’s Tawam Hospital seven hours to remove the growth – the largest tumour excision in the hospital’s history.

The 37-year-old had a rare condition called a desmoid tumour – overgrowth of fibrous tissues into her back, neck and chest wall. She had tried to treat the tumour with herbal medicine in India, but when it grew rapidly she approached a surgeon in the United States who told her it would be too dangerous to operate on.

But Tawam Hospital, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, assembled a team specialising in oncology and plastic surgery to remove the growth.

“The patient is doing very well now but is on a difficult road to recovery,” said Dr Ali Al Dameh, thoracic surgery consultant at Tawam Hospital. “Nevertheless, our ICU team is well-equipped to assist patients after complicated surgical procedures, and her condition is stable.”

Plastic surgeon Dr Ammar Al Thamin said patients should not delay visiting a doctor if they suspect they have a health problem.

“This considerably reduces the level of risk for the patient,” said Dr Al Thamin.