Yemeni man with stomach tumor weighing 10.3 kg gets new lease on life after rare surgery

New Delhi: A 58-year-old man from Yemen, who was initially told his condition was untreatable due to a massive 10.3 kg tumour engulfing his stomach, has got a new lease on life after doctors here treated his condition and reconstructed a new stomach.

The patient, Md Abdullah Hussain, had been suffering from severe abdominal pain, black stools, weakness, and anemia for months. After being turned away by multiple hospitals due to the tumour’s size and complexity, he approached Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, according to a statement from the hospital.

Doctor Amit Javed, senior director, Gastrointestinal Oncology, Minimal Access, and Bariatric Surgery, led the six-hour surgery.

A CT scan had revealed a massive gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), measuring 35 x 26 cm, which had completely engulfed his stomach, Javed said.

The procedure involved gastrectomy--the complete removal of the stomach--followed by reconstructing a new stomach using loops of the small intestine to allow food intake.

“The tumour occupied the entire abdominal cavity, compressing major organs like the pancreas, spleen, and duodenum, and displacing the small bowel. GIST tumours are rare and can range from benign to aggressive. In this case, the most significant risk was life-threatening internal bleeding but we managed to remove it before that happened,” said Javed.

The hospital said that Hussain was discharged nine days after the surgery and is now recovering well.