A 132-pound ovarian tumor was removed from a 38-year-old Connecticut woman in February 2018, according to two doctors who were involved.
Though the tumor was benign, or noncancerous, and did not spread outside the ovary, the sheer size of it posed a threat to the patient’s life as it was compressing nearby blood vessels.
The patient reported that it was growing at a rate of about 10 pounds a week in November 2017.
A team of 12 surgeons took five hours to remove the rapidly growing mass on Feb. 14 at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut, according to lead surgeon Dr. Waagn Andikyan.
"When I first walked into the examination room, I found this 38-year-old malnourished patient with a weight of 350 pounds and extensive tumor that was about 100 centimeters [39 inches] large," Andikyan told CNN. "I saw fear in the patient's eyes. She was so hopeless, because she had seen several other doctors, and they were unable to help her. Her legs were so swollen that she was unable to walk. I've seen leg swelling, but I've never seen leg swelling of this magnitude.”
"During the surgery, we removed this gigantic tumor that originated from her left ovary. We removed her left ovary, her left (fallopian) tube, and we removed the affected peritoneal tissue that was adhering to the ovary," he added.
Dr. Linus Chuang, who was involved in the case, told CNN, "There were a lot of issues related to this very large tumor in the abdomen. She can't eat, she can't walk, and there are problems related to potential complications with this large mass compressing the venous system."
"She was at very high risk of developing blood clots because of compression of the blood flow,” he added.
He added that alongside the tumor, the doctors had to take away 6 pounds of abdominal wall tissue and skin that had been stretched by the tumor. They subsequently had to reconstruct the patient’s abdomen.
Doctors were able to save the patient's uterus and right ovary, preserving her ability to bear children.
The patient has since returned to work as a teacher and is recovering well.
"She's back to a normal life, she's back to work, and when I saw her in my office, I saw smiles, I saw hope, and I saw a happy woman who is back to her normal life and her family," Andikyan said.
The doctors are encouraging women to not ignore symptoms that may suggest an ovarian mass. Such symptoms include pelvic pain, stomach fullness or discomfort, needing to urinate more often, and menstrual changes unrelated to menopause.