Zhang Cheng, 33, lived with a tumour so big it made him look heavily pregnant for a decade. He has now finally had the growth removed
A Chinese man who lived with a tumour so big he looked heavily pregnant for a decade has finally had the two-stone growth removed from his stomach.
The 33-year-old said he let the mass increase for 10 years as he believed it could be treated with traditional remedies.
Eventually it had grown so huge it weighed 2st 5lbs (33lbs or 15kg) - and made him appear as though he was expecting a child.
The hospital did not reveal the name of the man, who lives in Leshan, a city in China’s south-western Sichuan Province, and so the local media dubbed him Zhang Cheng.
He originally went to the doctors in 2004 when his stomach felt uncomfortable - and a lump was found in 2006.
Its not known if the tumour is cancerous - but it is believed it is benign otherwise medics would have removed it as a matter of emergency.
After it swelled to the size of a beach ball doctors said the mass was pressing on his internal organs and his bowels - which could potentially be fatal.
Despite going to various hospitals across China, other medics told him an operation to remove it would be risky, so he was repeatedly sent home, his sister told Chengdu Business Daily.
Eventually, the family raised the money to have the tumour cut out at the Military General Hospital in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province.
Dr Dai Ruiwu, lead surgeon at the hospital, carried out the complicated six-hour operation - which required the help of experts from three clinical departments.
As the growth had been pressing on Mr Cheng's internal organs for years, Dr Ruiwu said he needed to be kept in intensive care afterwards.
His sister told local newspaper: 'Because our family is poor, my brother missed several opportunities to treat the illness.
After the mass swelled to the size of a beach ball doctors said it was pressing on his internal organs and his bowels - which could potentially be fatal. They removed it in a 'risky' six-hour operation
Mr Cheng is being kept in intensive care after the operation as the 33lb (15kg tumour) had been pressing on his organs for so long. He first went to the doctor in 2004 complaining of a pain in his stomach
We have visited many other hospitals in the past, doctors said the success rate was low so we were sent home.'
His sister added that before the operation, he was eternally single single as women were put off by his 'pregnant' stomach.
The news comes after earlier this month MailOnline reported on the story of a Peruvian woman who had a 2st 5lbs (33lbs or 15kg) tumour removed after it had been growing for 13 years.
Irianita Rojas Rasma, 22, from north-eastern Peru, looked pregnant due to the mass - which caused her constant pain and meant she had to leave both school and her job.
After the Peruvian health minister, Anibal Velasquez, visited her town and heard her story he immediately ordered his staff to bring her to a hospital in Lima for surgery to remove it.
No comments:
Post a Comment