- The tumor mass weighed more than 10 kilograms and had a diameter of 43 centimeters.
- For the operation, specialists in internal medicine, surgery, and resident and intern doctors were needed.
- The intervention consisted of resection of the primary tumor, in addition to performing a hysterectomy and a contralateral salpingo-oophorectomy.
In a complex surgery that lasted more than three hours, doctors from the Hospital General de Zona (HGZ) No. 1 “Dr. Abraham Azar Farah”, of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in Campeche, extracted a ovarian tumor. The most impressive thing was its size because it was the equivalent of a watermelon and was already pressing on the patient’s vital organs.
The emergency presented by Beatriz, 41 years old, activated the protocols in the emergency service of HGZ No.1. Therefore, the intervention of specialists in internal medicine, surgery, and resident and intern doctors was necessary to act immediately.
The specialist in Oncologic surgery, Dr. Luis Enrique Fregoso Arteaga, reported that the patient had been experiencing an accelerated increase in the abdomen for a month. She underwent a computerized axial tomography and an X-ray plate. The result showed an ovarian carcinoma that generated compression in her organs.
“The accelerated increase in tumor mass began to put pressure on the lung and heart. Consequently, she would tire and flail at the slightest exertion. She could not bend down or walk much, and in general there was a limitation in the development of his activities, so she had to intervene in an emergency”.
The surgery was carried out in January of this year. At the head was the specialist Fregoso Arteaga, who was supported by the anesthesiologist Daniel Cu León, in a complete surgical procedure in which the tumor that depended on an ovary had to be removed.
Dr. Luis Enrique Fregoso explained that a complete surgery. That is, the resection of the primary tumor, in addition to performing a hysterectomy and a contralateral salpingo-oophorectomy to leave the patient macroscopically without tumor activity.
Giant ovarian tumor dimensions
The emergency surgical intervention allowed the multidisciplinary medical team to remove the tumor mass of more than 10 kilograms and approximately 43 centimeters. That is larger than a watermelon or a newborn baby, and save the life of Beatriz, a patient from Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche.
After surgery, the patient remained under clinical surveillance, with good postoperative evolution and returned home in good general condition. As it is a cancerous tumor, she is channeled for oncological follow-up, and thus continue with her comprehensive treatment. She is currently disease free and additional treatments are to lower the risk of the cancer recurring.
According to the oncologist surgeon, the HGZ No. 1 of Social Security has doctors with a high degree of preparation and professionalism. It also has the technical resources and equipment necessary to solve interventions of this nature, even when they are Third Level Care.
“Many times we do not give importance to small symptoms, sometimes there are patients who are overweight and do not realize that their abdomen is growing and attribute it to other causes, that is why you always have to consult a doctor to have a diagnosis in a timely manner” .
Patient thanks IMSS for a second chance at life
For her part, Beatriz thanked: “I thank all the doctors, nurses and staff who treated me at the Hospital General de Zona (HGZ) No. 1, especially Dr. Fregoso. I admire him and thank him for taking care of my case, giving it priority and saving my life.”
She explained that thanks to the surgery to remove the ovarian tumor she has returned to walking without shaking. Little by little, he returns to his daily activity, adhering to medical indications and his current treatment.