KATHMANDU, July 20: Surgeons have successfully removed a 10-kilogram sarcoma tumor from the abdomen of a 70-year-old man in what doctors say is one of the largest such operations performed in Nepal.
The surgery was carried out on Sunday at Scheer Memorial Hospital in Kavre after the patient, a resident of the district, sought treatment for severe abdominal swelling. A CT scan revealed a large retroperitoneal sarcoma, a rare form of cancer arising from tissues such as fat, muscle, nerves or blood vessels located behind the abdominal cavity.
The six-hour operation was led by cancer surgeons Dr Punya Kharbuja and Dr Dhruva Kandel from Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital.
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Dr Kharbuja said the patient’s condition is stable and he is expected to be discharged in about five days.
“The patient’s abdomen had become abnormally enlarged because of the tumor,” Dr Kharbuja said. “We have performed surgeries for sarcoma before, but this is the first time we have removed a tumor of this size.”
According to the surgical team, the operation was highly complex because the tumor had spread extensively throughout the abdominal cavity and was attached to several vital organs, including the intestines, liver and urinary bladder, increasing the risk of injury during surgery.
Sarcoma accounts for roughly 10 percent of all cancers and is considered a rare type of cancer. Retroperitoneal sarcomas often grow silently because the retroperitoneal space is large, allowing tumors to become massive before causing noticeable symptoms.
Common symptoms include abdominal swelling or a palpable mass, abdominal or back pain, feeling full after eating small amounts of food, weight loss and symptoms caused by pressure on nearby organs.
Doctors say the disease is typically diagnosed through CT scans, MRI imaging and biopsy. They recommend that patients with suspected retroperitoneal sarcoma seek treatment at specialized cancer centers with multidisciplinary expertise, as the condition requires highly specialized surgical care.
