Removing an 8kg soft tissue sarcoma tumor from a patient's abdomen

Mr. Lo Kim P., born in 2001 (23 years old), was admitted to K Hospital in June 2024. Before that, the patient's abdomen was abnormally enlarged, thinking it was due to weight gain, so he did not go to the doctor. When his abdomen became larger and larger, he had an ultrasound at the local hospital and discovered a very large tumor in his abdomen, and the doctor recommended transferring him to K Hospital.

Immediately, the patient was given the necessary tests, CT scan, ultrasound, blood test,... which discovered a solid tumor occupying the entire abdomen, about 40cm in size, the initial diagnosis was soft tissue sarcoma.

Soft tissue sarcoma is a malignant cancer that originates in the soft tissues of the body (including muscles, tendons, fat, lymph, blood vessels, and nerves). These cancers can develop anywhere in the body but are found mainly in the chest and abdomen...

Master, Specialist II Doctor Ha Hai Nam, Deputy Head of Department of Abdominal Surgery I, K Hospital shared that when the patient came to K Hospital, although the excretory function was still stable, the tumor was too large, occupying the entire abdomen, causing the patient to feel uncomfortable, accompanied by difficulty breathing due to the tumor pressing on organs such as the liver, pancreas, bladder, colon, etc.

"In this case, the damage is too large. If surgery is not performed, the tumor will impede the function of other organs in the abdomen, compressing the organs, affecting the patient's quality of life, health, and even life. If surgery is not performed, there is no other feasible treatment method," said Dr. Nam.

The tumor was too large, which was a challenge for the entire surgical team. Before the surgery, the patient was consulted and approved for surgery with contingency plans during and after surgery for the patient. The doctors of the Abdominal Surgery Department I worked closely with the Urology Department to discuss and exchange information.

Assessing the difficulties in surgery, Dr. Ha Hai Nam said that the large tumor occupied the entire abdomen, and the initial prognosis was that the kidney would have to be removed to completely remove the tumor, to prevent the tumor from recurring quickly.

To remove this tumor, the doctors discussed carefully the issue of controlling blood loss during surgery and especially the possibility of heart failure complications because the tumor was too large, so after removal, a lot of blood would be pumped to the heart, the atrium would dilate, which could lead to heart failure. The case was considered very carefully, although there were many challenges, it still needed to be done.

On the morning of June 26, under the direct guidance of Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Van Binh, Deputy Director of K Hospital, and the surgical team of gastroenterologists and urologists of K Hospital, surgery was performed on the patient.

According to Dr. Binh, the challenge in surgery for the patient was that the tumor surrounded the right kidney, and the right kidney and ureter were contained within the tumor. The doctors meticulously dissected each part of the tumor, reaching the area where the tumor contacted the kidney and ureter, forcing them to remove part of the ureter.

The patient was transfused with 3 units of blood and had his hemodynamics adjusted. With careful preparation, the surgical team completely removed the 8kg tumor, preserved the patient's kidney, cut part of the ureter and then successfully reconnected it.

During surgery, the gross morphology of the tumor is liposarcoma, a cancer of the connective tissue, a fatty tumor. The only treatment for these sarcoma cases is surgery, as initially diagnosed by the doctor.

The surgery was successful, the patient's hemodynamics were maintained stable for 72 hours after surgery. The patient was transferred to the department for monitoring and continued treatment.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/loai-bo-khoi-u-sarcoma-mo-mem-nang-8kg-trong-o-bung-cho-nguoi-benh-post816590.html