Four-kg tumour removed from a 64-year-old man's leg in Mumbai

Although the first signs appeared in 2012, the patient recently deferred the evaluation due to Covid-19

In a major achievement, an expert team at the Zen Multispecialty Hospital at Chembur in Mumbai recently performed a three-hour complicated surgery to extract a four-kg big, 43x 20x18 cm-sized tumour from a 64-year-old man’s leg amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The team was headed By Dr Tanveer Abdul Majeed, a surgical oncologist.

The patient, a resident of Khed in Chiplun, who was diabetic and obese, encountered swelling in the left leg since 2012 and that made his life miserable. He initially neglected and did not consult a local doctor, but when the swelling began to grow in size and cause discomfort, he consulted a local doctor who advised him to get evaluated but he deferred the evaluation due to Covid-19.

Things turned awry when he developed dull aching pain and redness over the swelling causing noticeable difficulties in his day to day activities and needed assistance for even his routine activities.

“On admission, he complained of discomfort, swelling in the thigh, and pain which was aggravated due to movement. He weighed about 81 kgs and had undergone preoperative biopsy suggestive of Atypical Lipoma, the cause of which is unknown. On examination, there was a huge mass occupying the whole of the front and lateral aspect of left thigh occupying the whole thigh from the hip to the knee joint with dilated veins over it, however, redness and warmth were more pronounced over the lower end swelling just above the knee joint,” said Dr Majeed.

The patient said: “My life was disrupted once there was swelling in the left leg and it kept on increasing. I couldn’t perform day-to-day activities such as walking or even sitting. I was hoping for some miracle to happen and happy that the hospital came to my rescue. I thank the doctors for helping me get back on track.”

He said that after the tumour extraction, the swelling has disappeared and I am able to wear a trouser of my actual size now. “Earlier, the left side of my trouser was bigger than the right one. I urge people not to ignore any changes occurring in the body and seek immediate medical attention,” he added.